Reply To: Critical Thinking and Writing
Lesson 3
Critical Thinking & Writing: Recap & HW #3
On Sunday we discussed:
-The difference between knowledge and opinion
-Arguments for skepticism about the empirical (external) world
-The unreliability of the senses
-Descartes’ evil demon thought experiment
Drawing on what we discussed in class, write a short essay (about three paragraphs) answering the question: is there anything that you can know for certain? Descartes argues that the only thing you can know with certainty is that you exist. But you don’t have to agree with Descartes! Also, try to structure your argument in the format we’ve been practicing.
Prepare for next week:
For Sunday, students should watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA2cdHLKYB8 and think about the question: is mathematics invented or discovered?