Is global skepticism justified?IntroductionSkepticism is something we all suffer from to one degree or another. Some of us with some limited (local) skepticism might wonder if we can really know if the news anchor is giving us correct information or if the five-day forecast is really on track this time in regarding the rain they predict. Others subscribe to the view of global skepticism; that is, they would say that we cannot know anything at all and therefore we cannot know anything (Feldman 109). As a global skeptic, we would not only question the same things that limited skeptics face, but we would question the very essence of our being. If this form of skepticism were valid, we would have to re-examine everything we think we know and know. Is there an external material world? Are we living in matrix type situations? Perhaps we are simply brains in vats and are cruelly forced to perceive a world that really is not reality. We can see how this form of skepticism could leave us feeling hopeless, confused and pessimistic. It might seem like we really know a lot about the planet we live on. But to what extent do we really “know” the things of this world? Could it be that the things we thought we knew for sure aren't as absolute as we thought? In René Descartes' Meditation on the First Philosophy, he says of fundamental knowledge: "Certainly, until now, everything that I have accepted as fully true, I have learned either through the senses or through the senses; but I have discovered that they sometimes deceive us, and prudence dictates that we should never fully trust those who have deceived us, even once. But perhaps, even if they sometimes deceive us about things that are little, ...... middle of paper ...... they don't know anything at all, since saying it admits to really knowing something; that is, we “know” that we cannot know anything. Using our senses and reasoning, we can justify our 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 mere fact that we are self-aware should speak volumes to the idea that we cannot not have knowledge. As I said earlier, we can have knowledge even if we are not completely right. In other words, one need not be completely certain of a conclusion based on particular propositions. What matters is the standards we set for knowledge. Given the arguments made by Global Skeptics, it is reasonable to conclude that Global Skepticism is not justified..