Hospers Vs Descartes

Descartes’ vs. Hospers

Knowledge is an acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study of investigation and a familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning. (3) Many philosophers have different perspectives of knowledge. Descartes’ believes that the only thing absolutely known is that you exist because you think. However, Hospers believes that there are different forms of knowing that must be proven with evidence. Descartes’ believes that you can doubt anything that exists because it’s either a misconception or seen as an illusion. He suggests that if he is able to find in each one some reason to doubt, that it will suffice to justify rejecting it as a whole. The main reason for Descartes’
However, if you taste it and it’s not sweet, your senses have deceived you. This is only one example of how your senses can deceive you; Descartes’ however, believes since his senses have failed him once that he’ll always have to doubt them. Also, Descartes’ believes that dreams are just false delusions because occasionally, in sleep he is deceived by the illusions in his dreams and there are no indications that he can clearly distinguish when he is awake or asleep. Descartes’ allows himself to be deceived by everything and there is nothing that he previously believed to be true, that he doesn’t somewhat doubt. Descartes’ main point of knowledge is that he is thinking, therefore he exits. He states that, “I am, I exist, is necessarily true each time that I pronounce it or that I mentally conceive it.” (1) He believes that when you think, it doesn’t use any senses, hence,
An example of a weak sense of knowing would be stating that you “know” your car is in the parking lot outside. You parked it there this morning so it should be there. However, if it was stolen while you were inside then your car would no longer be there. Hence, you know it in the weak sense because you are not certain. If someone calls and asks if there is a table in your room and at that very moment you are sitting on the table, you know that there for sure is a table in your room. It won’t magically disappear under you; so therefore, you know it in the strong sense that there is a table in the room. If you are using know in the strong sense then there should be no doubt whatsoever. Everyone will doubt a situation until they are certain. If the ceiling is leaking it is probable that it is raining outside and there is a hole in the roof, however, there is still some doubt until you know for sure if it is a hole that is causing the leak. Once you go upstairs and find a hole that is causing the leak, you will have no more doubt and know for certain that the reason the ceiling is leaking is because of a hole in the roof. In our world today we state that we “know” many things, however, most of the time we aren’t completely certain. When I know something and I am apprehending it clearly and with certainty (I can touch the object) I am using the strong sense of knowing. I don’t think anyone should go as