The dispute that abounds rationalism and empiricism is one about the extent at which a human being will remain dependent on the sense experiments in furtherance of gaining knowledge. Rationalists opine, there are several major ways in which the concepts and knowledge will be achieved independently of the sense experiences. Empiricist like Locke still have the claim about sense experience is that it is the sole source of all of an individual’s concept and knowledge. Rationalists like Descartes have developed their view in two major ways where they have argued that the cases where content of an individual’s concepts and knowledge will outstrip any information that a sense experiment will normally provide. Secondly, they have always had accounts where reason in some way or other will always provide an additional information concerning the world. For empiricists, they will settle for skepticism as an alternate to rationalism and are of the notion that reason is a source of concepts or knowledge, a rationalist’s stand. This paper is a critical discussion of the “Brain in a Vat” argument, which is synonymous with the global or Cartesian skepticism. The thought process will be analyzed vis-à-vis theme studied in Descartes. Brain in a vat is an example of the global skepticism we experience; this discussion is between the rationalist and the empiricist.
John Locke- Hello mate, are we at par as regards the human understanding? If not, I am more than willing to expound more on this topic, of importance is that I get it through to you to understand the foundational doctrines of the empiricist philosophical founding. Having formerly been majorly influenced by you, I was obliged to criticize you for and thus I developed the principles of empiricism, mine is an innate reflection of ideas where rationalists consider important and elaborate my position the best way I know how.
Rene Descartes- Well then, I will be glad if you would take your time to debunk my position on the thesis I have fronted, In my argument in the Mediations on First Philosophy I have postulated the idea of a deception to human beings by an evil being or demon.
Locke. Briefly, you are looking propose the idea of global skepticism by proving that the brain in a vat experiment by Putnam is possible?
Descartes. Affirmative, once I am done with this issue the repercussions my arguments shall have on the debate surrounding realism will be felt far and wide, and how Putnam’s argument should be inferred should ever again be misconstrued.