Thomas Moore Lacked Common Sense
Moore was a great philosopher. He really deserves a hand for his proof for an external world. Moore did something that no other philosopher had done before or has done since; he successfully proved the existence of an external world. Not only did he prove the existence of an external world in fact, but he also did it rather briefly and with no further resources necessary than his own two hands. Once one is acquainted with Moore’s proof, it becomes evident almost immediately just how much sense Moore’s “common sense” makes.
To start with, in the proof of an external world, Moore sets some goals. These goals are to “clarify the problem of the existence of external objects” and to “prove that external objects exist” (Goldstein 2002, handout). Moore goes on to prove these goals with his brilliant proof of his theories. The proof as a whole is actually two proofs, one being a sub-derivation of the other. It is beneficial to the student of philosophy if they attempt these proofs as the study Moore. The requirements for the first proof are two hands, so anyone attempting this proof needs to acquire two hands. Now, one must follow Moore’s proof exactly, saying first “here is one hand, and here is another,” then gesturing with both hands (Pojman 2003, 53). It is important that these steps be followed precisely; else, Moore’s proof is not reproduced but is instead bastardized. The conclusion, which follows from this premise, is that there are two hands. The second proof begins with these premises:
1. If there are two hands here, there are physical objects.
2. There are two hands here.
3. If there are physical objects, there are external objects.
4. There are physical objects.
The conclusion that follows is, “Therefore, there are external objects,” (Pojman 2003, 53-54).
So, there is no possible argument that could break so sound a logic as this, if the premises are true then they must guarantee the truth of the conclusion if this is a valid argument.
In order to understand the concept of Moore’s Paradox, we must first assess and understand the behavior of logical and performative contradictions. Credited for devising and examining this paradox, George Edward Moore, a British philosopher who taught at the University of Cambridge and studied ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics describes the paradox in its omissive and commissive forms in which we will discuss thoroughly. I will then express my standpoint on which solution is the most optimal choice for Moore’s Paradox in order to analyze and explain why I believe my solution is superior to other solutions. I will also discuss any issues that arise
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Moore argues that there exists an external world by giving a simple, believable situation that makes the existence of an external world seem obvious (this will be clarified in the next section). He then demonstrates that it satisfies the three conditions that ensure a rigorous, legitimate proof: that the premiss and the conclusion are different, that the premiss was something he knew was true, and that the conclusion
Moore’s “Proof of an External World” is based on the fact that he has two hands. Moore’s argument for the existence of these hands is as follows:
... So following all of this, if the 'sensible objects' that we perceive are of the mind, then we can not claim that there is an external world (class, lecture) (James, 2).
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Liamputtong, P. & Ezzy, D., 2005, Qualitative research methods, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria, pp. 12-31.