Is global skepticism justified? IntroductionSkepticism is something that all of us, in one way or another, have. Some of us who have some limited (local) skepticism may wonder whether we can really know whether the news anchor is giving us correct information or whether the five-day forecast is really on track this time as far as expected rain goes. Others adhere to the vision of Global Skepticism; that is, they would argue that we cannot know anything at all and, therefore, cannot have knowledge of anything (Feldman 109). As global skeptics, we would not only be challenging the same things that limited skeptics face, we would be challenging the very essence of our being. If this form of skepticism were valid, we would have to reexamine everything we think we know and have knowledge of. Is there an external material world? Do we live in matrix situations? Maybe we are just brains in vats and are cruelly forced to perceive a world that is truly not reality. You can see how this form of skepticism can leave us feeling hopeless, confused and pessimistic. It might seem like we actually know a lot about the planet we live on. But how much do we really 'know' the things of this world? Could it be that the things we thought we knew for sure aren't actually as absolute as we thought? In Rene Descartes' “Meditation on the First Philosophy” he says about fundamental knowledge: “Certainly, everything that I have until now considered fully true, I have learned either from the senses or through the senses: but I have discovered that sometimes there they deceive and prudence dictates that we never completely trust those who have deceived us even once. But perhaps, even if they sometimes deceive us about trivial things, ...... middle of paper ...... they don't know anything at all, since by saying this he admits that he actually knows something; that is, that "we know" we cannot know anything. Using our senses and reasoning we can come to justify knowledge and claim that we "know" the things of this world. Global skepticism would have us believe that we cannot be entirely sure of our reality and that absolute certainty is crucial to our knowledge. However, the simple fact that we have self-awareness should say a lot about the idea that we cannot not have knowledge. As I stated before, we can have knowledge even if we are not completely right. In other words, it is not necessary to be completely certain of a conclusion based on particular propositions. The important thing is the standards we set for knowledge. Given the arguments advanced by Global Skeptics, it is reasonable to conclude that Global Skepticism is not justified.