Epistemology Is The Study Of Knowledge, Or How We Know

Epistemology is the study of knowledge, or how we know anything and what it means to know anything. It is where one can explain how our mind is linked to reality and if these relationships are valid or invalid. In this paper, I will first present the views of Descartes on epistemology. Next, I will clarify his view of God, the body, and the mind. I will also discuss how well Descartes presents the arguments and how well they work for each topic. Lastly, I will discuss my overall agreement with his project for knowledge in general, however, I further discuss a few key components that later philosophers came to add on. Rationalism is an explanation of the world through our minds. Rationalism is a theory of knowledge where the critical†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"As I think about this more carefully, I realize that there is never any reliable way of distinguishing being awake from being asleep.† (57, Mediation One) Descartes writes that he could be dreaming or indeed he could be part of a larger deception that he does not know about. Next, he composes his argument that prepared for his systematic inquiry of disbelief. Descartes converse the possibility his whole life could be a dream with no real world that he may be waking up to. Descartes discussions that the images we have in our dreams are images that we previously had experience with in our ‘waking life’, they are images we are familiar with. These images are not certainly something have seen before, but rather, a part of that real thing that we know that make another image that we have not seen before. The dream argument sends messages that the senses are not dependable, and we can be misled easily by them, consequently, we cannot rely on our senses for our beliefs. This is shown in the First Meditation, â€Å"As I think about this more carefully, I realize that there is never any reliable way of distinguishing being awake from being asleep. This discovery makes me feel dizzy, which it reinforces the notion that I may be asleep!†(58, Mediation One) In the second Meditation, Descartes takes the source of doubt that he necessary need to start, I think therefore IShow MoreRelatedPhil 201 Study Guide Lesson 10 Essay864 Words   |  4 PagesStudy Guide: Lesson 10 What is Knowledge? Lesson Overview With this lesson, we begin a new unit on epistemology, which is the philosophical study of knowledge claims. In this first lesson on epistemology, we begin by examining the question â€Å"What do we mean when we say we know something?† What exactly is knowledge? 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