A man named Morpheus approaches you on the street and tells you that the world is not real. Specifically, he makes the claim that you are plugged into a machine, and the world that you believe to be real is nothing but a computer simulation. He then challenges you to prove him wrong. How would Descartes respond to this (“this” being that the world is not real) in the Mediations? Then, how would Hume respond to this in the Enquiry?
Note that you are required to answer the question from the point of view of two philosopher: Descartes and Hume. Both have very different outlooks on the external world so be attentive to that.
Sample Solution