Exam 3: Knowing Vs Thinking

Why does Nagel claim that a confidently held belief does not amount to knowledge? Do you agree? Why or why not?

Give Berkeley's "quick proof" that there are no real objects in your own words. Is it convincing? Explain.

According to Hume, all truths are knowable a priori.

There is no way to justify induction because it is a bad way of finding out about the world.

Meno compares Socrates to a

How does Haack think that the justification of a claim is like filling in a crossword entry? Do you agree with her assessment?

Explain Locke's four reasons for thinking we can be certain that external objects produce our ideas. Which, if any, do you find most convincing? Explain.

A synthetic a priori judgment requires

According to Russell, belief in the "uniformity of nature" is the belief that

Zagzebski's metaphor of fool's gold applies to beliefs because

Zagzebski believes that "we must care about having true beliefs in the domains we care about." Do you agree with this? Think of something you care about and use it as an example for your discussion of Zagzebski's point.

Why does Zagzebski tell the story about fool's gold? What point is she making with this story?

Russell notes that both humans and animals

Do you think Nozick's proposal solves the problem raised by Gettier (previous reading)? Explain.

Imagine you have a library book, which you believe is due to be returned in one week. You get a letter from the library saying that the book is already overdue. You say, "Impossible! It's due in one week!" Your objection is based on

Explain the distinction between sense-data and real objects.

A belief's reasonableness depends on

Do you agree with Phillips that the kinds of worries raised by Russell (previous reading) make philosophy seem like a mere game? Explain.

The supposition that he is dreaming allows Descartes to cast doubt upon

Haack says that progress in the sciences is like progress on a crossword puzzle because