G. E. Moore: Proof of an External World
About the event
In this session, we’ll explore G. E. Moore’s famous essay Proof of an External World, one of the most bold and surprising responses to skepticism in philosophy
Using a simple but striking argument—literally holding up his hands and saying “here is one hand, and here is another”—Moore attempts to prove that external objects exist. His claim is that such everyday knowledge is more certain than the skeptical doubts that challenge it.
Rather than refuting skepticism on its own terms, Moore turns the tables, arguing that common sense may already give us all the proof we need
We’ll discuss questions such as
• Can something as simple as “here is a hand” count as a proof • Is common sense stronger than philosophical skepticism • Does Moore actually defeat skepticism—or just ignore it
📄 Free reading (full PDF) - 3 pages [Read the article here](https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil201/Moore1.pdf)
Looking forward to seeing you
