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We cannot know anything on the basis of the senses alone. Descartes himself was not a skeptic. He thought that reason was our most fundamental source of knowledge. We can use reason to understand the true nature of bodies, why God must exist, and why we can trust the senses.

Invoking the Wachowskis' movie, The Matrix, the contemporary philosopher David Chalmers asserts that “even if we are in a matrix, our world is no less real than we thought it was. It just has a surprising fundamental nature.” This, in a nutshell, is Chalmers's response to external world skepticism.

Russell argued that scepticism could revolutionize social life. He also felt that improved equcation could lead to a freer, more rational and ultimately more satisfYing society.

Skeptics argue that belief in something does not justify an assertion of knowledge of it. In this, skeptics oppose foundationalism, which states that there are basic positions that are self-justified or beyond justification, without reference to others.

The Cartesian skeptical argument is often presented as follows: (1) If you know that an external world proposition P is true, then you know that the skeptical hypothesis SH is false. But (2) you don't know that SH is false. Therefore, (3) you do not know that P.

If you really want to convince a skeptic, show them the evidence! Just make sure it's evidence that works for them (not just for you). 2. If they are skeptical about something that can't really be proven - or at least, not in a way that makes sense to *them* (scientific or otherwise)... don't try to convince them!

There appear to be only three ways that one can respond to the CP-style skeptical argument: deny at least one premise, deny that the argument is valid, or reluctantly accept the conclusion—if neither of the first two alternatives succeeds.

The Pragmatic Skeptic accepts skeptical arguments for the claim that we lack evidence for our ordinary beliefs, and that they do not constitute knowledge. However, they do not think we should give up our beliefs in light of these skeptical conclusions.