Philosophy
As you read this blog, you're probably working under the assumption that some guy, a so-called philosophy monkey, wrote this entry. You may not know who he is, but you're pretty sure he's not you. You probably think this because you're not aware of writing for this blog, so if you're not aware of something being done, then it's not you who did it. Of course, if we allow for the possibility that this is all just a dream you're having, or even a dream within a dream (your 'waking up' this morning proves nothing), then all bets are off...
Welcome to the skeptical problem of solipsism (or at least one version of it): the idea that it may be impossible to tell the difference between a real mind-independent external world (what you're probably used to believing) vs. a completely realistic dream, or a hallucination, or a situation in which you are just a brain in a vat fed information by a scientist just messing with you through a super computer, or a world in which all that exists is you and your ideas and perceptions, or being stuck in something like The Matrix.
Can we have knowledge of a mind-independent external reality that's really "out there"? In the fourth lecture in this series, Professor Millican explores the history of this problem, starting with Descartes' skeptical arguments, as well as some of the possible solutions offered over the years, especially G.E. Moore's Defense of Common Sense.
Click here to see the course slides
.
- The Red King's Dream
In Through the Looking Glass, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee show Alice the sleeping Red King and tell her that she is merely a part of his dream. `It's only the Red King snoring,' said Tweedledee. `Come and look at him!' the brothers cried,...
- Philosophy: Brain In A Vat Argument ? Truth Revealed
Brains in a vat? That sounds terrifying, doesn?t it? Brain in a vat argument is one of the newest thought experiments in philosophy of mind (discussed by John Pollock). Many people raise objection to the brain in a vat theory but are there in fact any...
- Solipsism: Do Others Exist In Your Mind Only?
Solipsism is one of the most interesting theories of mind. Why? I?ll tell you how solipsists define solipsism. Get ready, solipsism definition is as follows: one?s own mind is allthat can be known to exist. But what does solipsism really mean? Not only...
- Lecture 6 - Primary And Secondary Qualities
No introductory philosophy course is complete without at least touching on the famous distinction between primary and secondary qualities originally proposed by Descartes, but explored in more detail by Locke, Berkeley and Hume. If you don't...
- Peter Millican's Introduction To General Philosophy
You know what's missing from your life? More philosophy. Sure, the practical benefits may not always be obvious (though they are most decidedly there), but philosophy deals with the deepest, the most elusive, the most important and the most interesting...
Philosophy
Lecture 4 - Skepticism of the External World
As you read this blog, you're probably working under the assumption that some guy, a so-called philosophy monkey, wrote this entry. You may not know who he is, but you're pretty sure he's not you. You probably think this because you're not aware of writing for this blog, so if you're not aware of something being done, then it's not you who did it. Of course, if we allow for the possibility that this is all just a dream you're having, or even a dream within a dream (your 'waking up' this morning proves nothing), then all bets are off...Welcome to the skeptical problem of solipsism (or at least one version of it): the idea that it may be impossible to tell the difference between a real mind-independent external world (what you're probably used to believing) vs. a completely realistic dream, or a hallucination, or a situation in which you are just a brain in a vat fed information by a scientist just messing with you through a super computer, or a world in which all that exists is you and your ideas and perceptions, or being stuck in something like The Matrix.
Can we have knowledge of a mind-independent external reality that's really "out there"? In the fourth lecture in this series, Professor Millican explores the history of this problem, starting with Descartes' skeptical arguments, as well as some of the possible solutions offered over the years, especially G.E. Moore's Defense of Common Sense.Click here to see the course slides
.
- The Red King's Dream
In Through the Looking Glass, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee show Alice the sleeping Red King and tell her that she is merely a part of his dream. `It's only the Red King snoring,' said Tweedledee. `Come and look at him!' the brothers cried,...
- Philosophy: Brain In A Vat Argument ? Truth Revealed
Brains in a vat? That sounds terrifying, doesn?t it? Brain in a vat argument is one of the newest thought experiments in philosophy of mind (discussed by John Pollock). Many people raise objection to the brain in a vat theory but are there in fact any...
- Solipsism: Do Others Exist In Your Mind Only?
Solipsism is one of the most interesting theories of mind. Why? I?ll tell you how solipsists define solipsism. Get ready, solipsism definition is as follows: one?s own mind is allthat can be known to exist. But what does solipsism really mean? Not only...
- Lecture 6 - Primary And Secondary Qualities
No introductory philosophy course is complete without at least touching on the famous distinction between primary and secondary qualities originally proposed by Descartes, but explored in more detail by Locke, Berkeley and Hume. If you don't...
- Peter Millican's Introduction To General Philosophy
You know what's missing from your life? More philosophy. Sure, the practical benefits may not always be obvious (though they are most decidedly there), but philosophy deals with the deepest, the most elusive, the most important and the most interesting...