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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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