24.211 | Spring 2014 | Undergraduate

Theory of Knowledge

Course Description

This course is an introduction to epistemology: the theory of knowledge. We will focus on skepticism—that is, the thesis that we know nothing at all—and we will survey a range of skeptical arguments and responses to skepticism.
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments with Examples
In a vat, a brain floating in liquid is connected to a computer.  A thought bubble above the brain reads "I'm walking outside in the sun!!"
Hilary Putnam’s “Brain in a Vat” thought experiment is a modern version of Descartes’ argument of an evil demon feeding false information to the senses. (This image is in the public domain. Source: Was a bee.)