Philosophy


Philosophy Essay

Topic:

Describe the theory of knowledge called skepticism. Consider the skeptic’s charge that we can never be confident about the reliability of our normal sources of knowledge (perceptions, memory, introspection, and reasoning.) Describe why and how, for each of the 4 sources mentioned, the source is unreliable. Use examples to show your understanding.

If a source of knowledge is unreliable, it means these sources can trick us into believing falsehoods. Does it follow from the fact that we are sometimes mistaken when we rely on these sources that we are always mistaken? In other words, once we admit is possible that we are mistaken, does that mean that we need to admit that we might never be correct? What is a rational way to make decisions in a world in which there is much uncertainty?

 

Instructions

1-Essay Length tips–To answer these topics completely, it takes about 2 pages – 8-10 paragraphs. Use the topic questions and the scoring rubric to see if your draft responds fully to all parts of the question. A complete thoughtful answer is more important than word count.

2-Once you choose which question, you’d like to write about, write your essay and save it as a Word document.

3-Use your course texts to help you respond to the topic, and when you quote and summarize from the course texts, include information about the page reference.

4-You are discouraged from using additional sources. If you do choose to use an outside source, be sure to cite your source, just as you do when you use the course texts. If you use a quotation or an example from a website, cite the website’s URL and the date accessed.