Since The Matrix is on everybody’s mind this week (don’t argue; I said it was on your mind), this article by Dr. Phil Chalmers of the University of Arizona at Tucson should prove to be of interest also.

Dr. Chalmers argues that brain-in-a-vat hypotheses are not skeptical after all; they may imply surprising and counterintuitive metaphysics, but can potentially leave most of our other beliefs about the world intact. I found the comparison between the Matrix and Cartesian mind-body dualism to be the most compelling of the article, even if I don’t embrace the Cartesian scenario outright. But them I’m not a philosopher, and it’s embarassingly easy to put one over on me. (I provide an outstanding example of Proverbs 18:17 in this regard.)

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• Posted by Tim on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 5:07:19 pm PDT
• Category: Miscellany
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