Descartes' own evil demon hypothesis in Meditation I demonstrates that a maximally powerful being capable of systematic deception is at least conceivable without logical contradiction.
?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
No one has weighed in yet. Be the first to share reasons for or against this statement.
Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.
Having the greatest possible amount of power or ability—in this case, capable of doing anything without limits.
Meditation I(the specific text where the evil demon hypothesis appears)
The first part of Descartes' famous work 'Meditations on First Philosophy' where he systematically questions what he can truly know by imagining different ways he might be deceived.
conceivable(The constrained definition of conceivability adopted for the conceivability argument.)
A is conceivable if and only if not-A cannot be ruled out a priori (i.e., A cannot be known a priori to be false).
systematic deception(as used in ethics)
Intentional, organized, and widespread lying or hiding of truth—not just one person fibbing, but a pattern built into how a system works.