The Doom of Descartes

(Originally Written August 30, 2006 in Epistemology)

PHI 432 Epistemology
Dr. James Spiegel

Plato - knowledge = justified true belief

Epistemology - the science of knowing and the study of knowledge

History of Epistemology

Plato defines knowledge as a justified true belief and it's all good until Descartes.

Descartes sets off the Modern Epistemological revolution. He states that "the knower" is the starting point of knowledge.

Socrates, Aristotle and Plato all assumed that we can know. Descartes does not assume this. Thus, when Descartes calls into question the ability to know and sets the standard of knowledge as indubitable, he dooms modern epistemology to absolute skepticism.