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: : I think i can help you a little, although I : : am not quite sure if I'm even on the right : : track, because my question was the same. I'll : : try to help anyway.Firstly, I think it's a : : more personal question, because it asks you : : how effective you think the sceptical challenges : : are. I think, if we take everything that Descartes : : suggests seriously (even his madmen hypothesis : : which he dismisses) they are extremely effective. : : The Reliability of the Senses causes us to doubt : : all knowledge procured through or by the senses. : : This challenge and the dreaming argument causes : : us to conclude that on any one occion, our : : senses may be deceiving. However, the maliciious : : demon argument is more extreme and causes us to : : doubt ALL knowledge, for it could be that a demon : : is controlling and manipulating our every move. : : Moving along to the second meditation, we are led : : to the certainty that we think, therefore we exist. : : However, in the third meditation, the thinker : : tries to show God exists, and that, since he is : : good and omnipotent, he would never lead us astray : : in things that are clear and distinct. However, : : I do not see how we can prove that God exists : : simply by saying that since we perceive him : : clearly and distinctly and innately, that he : : exists. You may want to read John Cottingham's : : "From Self to God to Knowledge of the World" to : : get a clear idea of Descartes argument.Cottingham : : also makes the problem of the Cartesian Circle : : clear, and is easy to understand. : : Anyway, i think that Descartes sceptical arguments : : do pose a continuing challenge to our claim that : : we have genuine knowledge because he cannot, : : without first proving the existence of God, prove : : that we have any type of knowledge. I think the : : problem of the Cartesian Circle is insoluble, and : : that Descartes (in his replies) does not rid : : himself of the problem. Without proving God exists, : : Descartes cannot prove anything, he cannot even : : prove that the senses can be trustes. : : Another problem that i have with Descartes is that : : he claims that the senses are only deceptive when : : things are far away or in the distance, and a : : closer look will uncover the deception. However, : : how do we know that the closer look isn't a : : deception?? How do I know that I am not now in : : bed dreaming? You don't know that you are dreaming : : until you wake up, so you can never know for sure : : if you are dreaming, becuase I could be dreaming : : that I am dreaming, and so on. : : I think that is about it. I'd appreciate your : : thoughts on this anyway. : : Thanks, Amanda : :

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Descarteshall Re: Question on Descartes' scepticism: Nantucket Campfire

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