Theories of Knowledge, MWF
04-22-02
Monday

Announcements:

Test-available Wednesday 04-24-02 after 2pm
also available on these dates, 04-25-02, 04-28-02, 04-29-02
Students can take test up to 5pm on 04-29-02, however allow 1 hour and 20 minutes. Some will need less, some will need more.
Students may use a 3x5 note card during the exams.
Photo I.D. required by the testing center.


LECTURE

Some condition under which one may doubt a priori beliefs?
- philosophy class
- drugs
-religious experience
-torture/ brain washing

Hume and Descartes: analytic truths are a priori, i.e. logic, math, definition.

Can you prove through a priori deduction that...
-the external world exists
-the world is more than 5 min. old
-minds other than my own exist

Hume suggests...
-a priori helps relate concepts, not truths about the external world.
-one cannot prove matters of fact
-cannot prove things about reality by playing with concepts.
(can one prove this statement is true?)
-A counter example to Hume...
* "No round triangle is a square."
* "A round square is contradictory."

God...
-A common argument against the existence
of God,
* God by definition is omnipotent...
Omnipotence is a contradiction...
Omnipotence contradicts itself
because omnipotence suggest one can do anything. If this were true
God could create an infinitely
heavy rock, so heavy it would be
impossible to pick up by the
omnipotent being (God). If God can
do anything, he can create a task
to difficult to do. Thus a the
contradiction.
God is a contradiction...God does not exist.