Mid-term Study Questions .doc - Phil 107: Introduction to...

Phil 107: Introduction to Philosophy Mid-term Study Questions Fall 2019 Dowell
1.Explain Descartes’ Dreaming Argument. What does Descartes think this argument shows?
2.Explain Descartes’ Evil Demon Argument. What does Descartes think this argument shows?
3.Explain Gettier’s counterexample to the claim that knowledge is justified true belief
involving Jones and the Ford. (Hint: Be sure to explain why Gettier thinks that
Smith has justified, true belief in that example.)

correctly inferred (g), (h), and (i) from a proposition for which he has
strong evidence. Smith is therefore completely justified in believing
each of these three propositions. Smith, of course, has no idea where
Brown is.
But imagine now that two further conditions hold. First, Jones
does not own a Ford, but is at present driving a rented car. And secondly,
by the sheerest coincidence, and entirely unknown to Smith, the place
mentioned in proposition (h) happens really to be the place where Brown
is. If these two conditions hold then Smith does not know that (h) is
true, even though (i) (h) is true, (ii) Smith does believe that (h) is true,