Socrates Plato Des Cartes

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Skepticism and knowledge

The brain-in-a-vat (BIV ) hypothesis is a classic example of how a skeptic might argue about any knowledge of the real world we may possess . According to this hypothesis , the fact that we possess certain knowledge A about something (for example , that we have two arms and two legs ) entails that we must also possess another piece of knowledge B (in our case , that we are not a mere brain in a vat . Furthermore , if we conclude that we are not a mere BIV , than we

must also possess certain evidence which could rule out every single possibility that we might be a brain in a vat . However , as skeptics argue , it is impossible for us to have any sufficient evidence that all such possibilities can be ruled out as we can 't rely on any empirical knowledge or experiences which may be the product of computers or a group of scientists that manipulate our life . Therefore , skeptics conclude , it is not possible for us to know anything at all and knowledge A that we believe to possess is false (Pritchard Contemporary Skepticism

This classic skeptic hypothesis undermines any knowledge that we think we may possess about the world around us . On the one hand , there are many areas in which we believe that we have certain knowledge while , in fact , we lack such knowledge , and the hypothesis mentioned above can be applied . On the other hand , we do seem to possess certain knowledge...