Epistemology Essay Research Paper Epistemology is the

Epistemology Essay, Research Paper

Epistemology is the nature of cognition. Knowledge is of import when sing what is world and what is misrepresentation. The film & # 8220 ; The Matrix & # 8221 ; displays a societal misrepresentation in which Neo, the chief character, is caught between what he thought was one time world and a whole new universe that controls everything he thought was existent. If I were Neo, I would non genuinely be able to cognize that I was in the matrix. However, it is rational to believe that I am in the matrix and will finally come in back into my world subsequently. The cogent evidence that that I can cognize that I am in the matrix and that I will return to world comes from the responses of foundationalism, idealism, and pallibalism.

To get down, foundationalism is the kernel of what we are certain of. Many philosophers argue on the footing of foundationalism to happen out where cognition begins. This will assist find if Neo would be able to cognize or non cognize if he is woolgathering up the matrix or in fact that it is world. The popularity of foundationalism starts with Descartes. He challenged the antecedently popular incredulity. In Descartes Meditations he discusses many issues associating to the inquiry of & # 8220 ; where does knowledge come from? & # 8221 ; His chief statements appear in his dreaming statement. He foremost begins by saying 1. I frequently have perceptual experiences really much like the 1s I normally have in esthesis while I am woolgathering. Then he goes on to state 2. There are no definite marks to separate dream experience from waking experience. These two premises lead to the decision that 3. It is possible that I am woolgathering right now and that all my perceptual experiences are false. This shows that there is no existent manner to cognize to cognize anything. Descartes add to his statement utilizing foundationalism. & # 8220 ; & # 8217 ; Throughout my Hagiographas I have made it clear that my method imitates that of the designer. When an designer wants to construct a house which is stable on land where there is a flaxen surface soil over implicit in stone, or clay, or some other steadfast base, he begins by delving out a set of trenches from which he removes the sand, and anything resting on or assorted in with the sand, so that he can put his foundations on house dirt. In the same manner, I began by taking everything that was dubious and throwing it out, like sand & # 8230 ; ( Replies 7, AT 7:537 ) & # 8217 ; ( Lex, Newman ) & # 8221 ; . This explains how foundationalism works ; you must take all of your uncertainty to progress to the foundationtion of which you are certain of. This is called the method of uncertainty. Once you know what you are certain of, you can construct up cognition from at that place. Many wonder how we can inquire we are non woolgathering. Some agree that you can non experience hurting in a dream, but others say they have. The statement that dreams are non related to memory is strong because most people do non retrieve their dreams. Descartes explains that in a dream you can experience as if you are utilizing all of your senses, but they seem to be more obscure than when awake. Descartes battles with the dream issue until he comes upon his decision. & # 8220 ; & # 8217 ; I now notice that there is a huge difference between [ being asleep and being awake ] , in that dreams are ne’er linked by memory with all the other actions of life as waking experiences are. & # 8230 ; But when I clearly see where things come from and where and when they come to me, and when I can link my perceptual experiences of them with the whole of the remainder of my life without a interruption, so I am rather certain that when I encounter T

hese things I am non asleep but awake. ( Med. 6, AT 7:89-90 ) ’ ( Lex, Newman ) ” This dream statement attributes to how we can cognize anything. For Neo’s sake it helps him make up one’s mind conditions he is truly in the matrix or non.

In add-on to foundationalism turn outing that cognition is built up from what we are certain of, idealism plays an of import function of reasoning that all world is in the head. Descartes & # 8217 ; statement for idealism explains how cognition of world is possible. He goes through the procedure of utilizing an illustration like a pen and warranting its being. There are 3 stairss to this procedure: 1. I know I perceive the pen. 2. To be is to be perceived ( Berkeley ) . 3. I know the pen exists. Another philosopher, Berkeley, argues esse est percipi, which translates to & # 8220 ; to be is to be perceived & # 8221 ; . This means that if you are perceived you exist and the same thing goes for world. There are issues that argue against idealism ; one of these statements is that we have no construct of unremarked affair. Equally shortly as you perceive it you can gestate it. The lone jobs with this statement are the fact that many people perceive the distant way. An illustration of this is the & # 8220 ; Big Bang & # 8221 ; theory. Besides the perceptual experience of the atom and distant galaxies moreover cause a job. So idealism still stands strong. Neo & # 8217 ; s perceptual experience of the matrix exists so therefor Neo believes that the matrix is existent.

Yet there remains one more response to furthermore prove that Neo is rational to believe he is in the matrix. This is the response to Pallibalism, the theory that cognition does non necessitate certainty. This response goes about stating that we are certain of our heads and our ain being. Neo has cognition of the matrix, but there is no certainty with his cognition. Noe is able to comprehend the milieus around him in the matrix and he can be certain he is non dreaming, but he can non cognize for certain if the matrix is genuinely existent. The instance for this is that he could be merely a encephalon in a Vat in a elephantine practical world. Another illustration similar to & # 8220 ; The Matrix & # 8221 ; is & # 8220 ; The Trueman Show & # 8221 ; . In this instance it is a local misrepresentation instead than a societal misrepresentation. Pallibalism agrees with foundationalism and idealism in the fact that cognition is an abstract impression and the lone thing that one can be certain of is them egos.

Clearly so, foundationalism, idealism, and pallibalism all fit together to turn out that Neo can non be certain of the matrix, but merely himself. Besides it further explains how it is rational for him to believe that the matrix exists through his perceptual experience of the matrix and the cognition he obtains when he is at that place. The growing of cognition in Neo & # 8217 ; s head is possible what is his misrepresentation. The more he perceives could possible be more he is deceived. What we know about world is all in our heads and if we can merely be certain of ourselves and our ain being so the world that we perceive and conceive does be. So the reply is yes, Neo can cognize that he is in the matrix, but this does non needfully intend the matrix exists. Equally far as Neo knows the matrix does be and that he will return to what he thought was his world subsequently, cognizing that there is more than merely his universe.

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Newman, Lex, & # 8220 ; Descartes & # 8217 ; Epistemology & # 8221 ; , The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ( Spring 1999 Edition ) , Edward N, Zalta ( ed. ) , URL= hypertext transfer protocol: //plato.stanford.edu/archives/spring1999/entries/Descartes