Empiricism

I do agree with the Empiricists claim that all of our knowledge relies on our senses.  The basic claim is that the only source of genuine knowledge is sense experience. I agree with this and I believe I can given example that would back up this claim.
Example: Lets say it is morning and I am trying to decide what I should wear based upon the temperature outside. I check the weather and it shows that it is supposed to be 30 degrees outside. Then I decide to open my window. It is dark out, the trees are blowing in the wind, (sure looks cold). I decide to ask my roommate ( he says it "seems" pretty cold out). Do I have any genuine knowledge yet? I don't think so. So I head outside. Sure enough it is cold out! To me, until this moment when my senses experience the bitter biting wind and my nose begins to run and my ears begin to burn I have not had any genuine knowledge. I rely on my sense experience on an everyday basis to give me knowledge about my surroundings. I could have reasonable estimated that it was warm outside based upon the weather channel, my view from my window, and my roommates remarks, however as you stated in the lecture, "Reason is an unreliable and inadequate route to knowledge unless grounded in sense experience."

Descartes

I believe that we definitely do use methodological skepticism in our everyday lives. The simplest example I think think to compare it to is when trying to follow directions. I have lived in New York City for three and a half years now. I know my way around the city fairly well, but there is always some doubt. I mean the city is huge! When trying to find my way places I simply use the process of doubting in order to arrive at certainty. Most recent example: this morning I was to have my hair colored at a new salon I have never been to. I know the address of the salon and I know the subway located closest to the salon. However, I am unsure of how to get from the subway to the the salon, so I use the process of doubting. I get off the subway and I see a series of residential looking buildings. Well I doubt that the salon is that way because why would a salon be in a residential building? Therefore I must go the other way down the street. I then see up ahead an entrance on to the FDR. Well, I doubt a salon would be located on the FDR, nor can I walk along the FDR so I know that I must turn at some point. So on and so forth my logic goes until I arrive at certainty, the salon. I guess on a small scale, I did what Descartes did when "bathed his beliefs in an acid bath to see if any doubt survived." As soon as I contemplated going one way, as soon as I began to believe it was right I made sure by checking out my more concrete surroundings. If I was "sure" I was supposed to turn left, I would make absolute sure it made sense first by checking out the buildings and the layout of the street etc.  I know this is a very simple elementary example of how methodological skepticism can be used in daily routine, however I believe it is one that is easily relatable. There are a million ways I use doubt to come to conclusions in my everyday life whether in simple or more complex situations!

Week 1 Thoughts

I enjoyed the first weeks readings more than I originally thought. I began the week by first by reading the assigned chapter in the textbook. I was slightly confused and not sure I really understood the apology and the allegory as I was supposed too. I then listened to the lecture and suddenly I not only understood it, but I was genuinely interested in learning more about them both. I enjoyed the allegory the most, mainly because I first thought it very strange and didn't see the relevance, but as soon as I delved deeper into the meaning behind the prisoners and the meaning behind the puppets shadows I understood how they were "us" and how the images are certain things in society. I for one automatically associated them with the media as a whole and how it can become such a half-truth on society. I am very excited to continue to see how Socrates theories and questionings are still very much prevalent today.