NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
In this essay I will explain that it is impossible to know that you know something, and therefore that being skeptic is not a radical way of thinking, but a logical thought process. It is important for healthy skepticism to keep our minds open to new ideas, and to prevent us from becoming unthinking dogmatists with no individuality. If there were no one in the world to doubt, than wed all still believe the world is flat and science would never exist. Skepticism is a healthy outlook that doesnt hinder our society, as some may have you believe, but benefits it.
To begin we should define the requirements for knowledge. The four requirements for knowledge are: 3. ) S is justified in believing that P is true. 4. ) Ss justification in believing that P does not rest on any false beliefs. Without these requirements, you cannot have knowledge. Your thought may still be true, however, you cannot know something if it is possible it is not true. This brings us to how you know if what you think is true.
However, it is impossible for us to have this certainty. Infallible knowledge is impossible for humans to obtain based on the fact that there is always a chance that we are mistaken. Yet, the Epistimist argues: The refutation of skepticism is pure and simple. I know that there is a piece of paper in front of me, for I see a piece of paper in front of me.
Skepticism says that I do not know this. Therefore skepticism is wrong. However, just as in the Epistemists example, the only way we can obtain knowledge is through our five senses. Weather we learn something from a class lecture, reading a book, or touching something; we are relying on our senses to convey the knowledge to us.
However, it is possible for our senses to trick us. The skeptic argument is that if we can believe we are awake when we are in fact dreaming in our beds, then we can be dreaming at any moment and not know it. In this way, our senses are tricking us. When we hear something in our dream, there is nothing actually making that noise, it is something we only think we hear because we are dreaming.
In our dreams we can have any sensual experience we perceive while we are awake, yet while we are dreaming, we are being fooled by our senses into thinking things that do not exist are real. Since all our information about the world comes from our senses, and our senses can fool us at any time, we can therefore never be sure we have any knowledge about the world. The Epistemist may again argue this point, delivering ways of deciphering weather or not you are truly experiencing something or hallucinating through a dream, such as another's testimony. However, many magicians make their living by performing illusions in front of large audiences. In this case everyone experiences the same illusion, yet none of them know the truth. If you have ever been deceived by someone, perhaps even someone you have trusted for a long period of time, you know that it is much harder to trust that person from that point on.
Many people would in fact choose not to believe a word that came out of that persons mouth ever again. If that person has lied to you once, than surely the possibility of them lying to you again is not out of the question. The same can be applied to just about anything in life. If as a child you touched a hotplate and ended up burning your hand, chances are you will be careful before touching it again, making sure you have sufficient evidence that it is not turned on.
Why then, do we put such infinite trust in our senses that have also wronged us on occasion? Since we can prove that it is possible for our senses to deceive us, than therefore it is always possible that they are deceiving us. Thus, we are forced to be skeptic about weather or not we can really know something, or if we are merely being fooled by our own senses. Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: weather, senses, dreaming, piece of paper, skepticism
Research essay sample on Believing That P Requirements For Knowledge Senses
