READ (below) BEFORE WRITING YOUR DISCUSSION POST

A proof is an argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of some proposition. 

Philosophers have concerned themselves with the question of what there is and how can we know it. One such question is a question regarding the existence of the external world and whether we can know or whether there is a proof for the existence of this external world. A problem arises on the basis of two plausible assumptions: (1) that humans have minds and (2) that there are external objects whose existence does not depend on their being a mind to apprehend them (it seems to be the case that the table continues to exist even when no one is perceiving it). The question that arises is whether we are justified in believing in the existence of those external objects (for example, does a table exist if there is no human mind there to sense it?)

Rene Descartes is widely known as the founder of modern philosophy and his famous for his Meditations. Some of the most notable arguments presented in the Meditations are the skeptical arguments Descartes presents in the First Meditation. Many philosophers doing work in epistemology (the philosophical study of knowledge) continue to respond to the challenges posed by Descartes in the First Meditation. 

In the Meditations Descartes presents a somewhat unusual philosophical treatise. He does not aim to directly convince you of the truth of a theory, but rather encourages you and guides you through a ``mediation’’ which takes you through several stages of reflection in which the meditator becomes aware of and works to overcome errors in their reasoning. Such a process aims at reaching the truth about particular matters and to acquire knowledge. For Descartes, knowledge can not be secured unless it rests on secure foundations. For example, a theory of the material world must be developed once certain metaphysical questions about what exists are addressed and answered. In this way the Meditations aim to secure the foundations of knowledge about such matters. 

In the First Mediation Descartes starts by claiming that many of the beliefs he has held or valued over the course of his life have turned out to be false. This leads him to realize that ``it was necessary, once in the course of my life, to demolish everything completely and start again right from the foundation if I wanted to establish anything at all in the sciences that was stable.’’

Please answer the following questions in your discussion post:

Given Decartes' conclusions about what we can know and his view about our relation to the external world, is it possible for Descartes to give a proof of the external world? Explain your answer (give reasons for why or why not).

Russell provides further clarification of the problem of finding a proof for the existence of the external world. Do you think Russell provides a proof for accepting the existence of the external world? Does Russell give us certainty that we can know beyond all doubt that the external world exists?   ---> [In your answer make sure to describe Russell’s reasons for either accepting or rejecting the existence of the material world. Be sure to explain how instinctive belief is important for Russell’s view]

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