Phil 6
Gareth Beckham
PhilUnit6sources.docxhttps://youtu.be/kXhJ3hHK9hQ
Chapter 3 of our text discusses the branch of philosophy called epistemology, “the study of human knowledge—how we get it, what it is, whether we have it, or why we don’t” (191). But another significant question is: are we morally responsible for our relationship to knowledge, or more specifically, truth? Many of the current problems in our society are directly related to the belief in and spread of false information, and while philosophical questions might often seem abstract and removed from daily life, sadly, people are being injured and murdered as a result of people spreading false information: how people act in relation to what they believe can literally have deadly consequences.
Read the article “How Do We Get to Herd Immunity for Fake News?”, watch the below video, and then do/answer the following:
· Choose a quote (must be a complete sentence) from the article that caught your attention and discuss why it did, specifically, how it relates to our relationship with truth.
· Summarize W.K. Clifford’s argument (discussed in the video) with regard to epistemic responsibility (the example about the shipowner is NOT his argument; it is an example meant to illustrate the argument), and then respond to his argument: do you agree or disagree with Clifford? Give reasons and perhaps examples to defend your response.
Make sure to follow the instructions given in Unit 1 in the Discussion Forums: Protocol and Grading Criteria folder for making specific references to texts, videos, and podcasts; posts that do not make references according to these instructions will not receive full credit.
The film The Matrix is in large part based on Descartes’ Meditations, specifically the evil genius argument, and Plato’s allegory of the cave (video below). In The Matrix, one character, Cypher, wants to return to the matrix (a computer simulated reality), knowing full well that nothing he experiences there will be ‘real’ (see Agent Smith and Cypher video below).
First, by making specific references to the excerpts from Descartes' Meditations in Section A of Chapter 3, explain your understanding of Descartes' dream argument and his evil demon/genius argument by giving a brief explanation of each.
Then, in thinking of how you value your experiences, specifically, what you value about them, answer the following: Does it matter to you if something 'really' happened? Or, if you experience something as real, is that all that matters? If, at the end of your life, you were to find out that all of your experiences had been a computer simulation, would that change the way you value the ‘experiences’ you had? Explain why or why not.
Make sure to follow the instructions given in Unit 1 in the Discussion Forums: Protocol and Grading Criteria folder for making specific references to texts, videos, and podcasts; posts that do not make references according to these instructions will not receive full credit.
