G. E. Moore's Proof Of An External World

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For many years, influential philosophers, like Descartes and Kant, have tried to prove that a world outside our mind exists – an external world. However, for G.E. Moore, these proofs were too complex and therefore, he provides an alternative and much simpler proof against the sceptic by appealing to the notion of common sense. By simply raising one hand and gesturing while saying “here is one hand” and with his other, gesturing and saying “here is another”, Moore believes that he has given a perfectly rigorous proof of an external world as he has proven that the existence of an object external to our mind can exist without being perceived. However, this proof was not universally convincing in the world of philosophy even though Moore claims his proof originates from and satisfies three conditions that are necessary for a rigorous proof. These are:
1. The conclusion must differ from the premise(s)
2. The premise(s) must be known to be true
3. The conclusion must follow from the premise(s) …show more content…

Firstly, the premise that Moore provides is that “here is one hand… and here is another”. By saying this, Moore claims to know that “here is one hand… and here is another” as he believes it would be absurd to suggest otherwise. For example, it would be absurd to say that you do not know that you are talking or walking or eating, just to name a few. Therefore, it can be said that this satisfies his second proof that the premise(s) must be known to be true. In addition, the conclusion of Moore’s proof is that there are two external objects existing at this very moment which of course, is different to the premise and therefore, satisfies his first condition. Finally, since Moore believes that the premise is true, it can be said that the conclusion that two human hands exist at this very moment is also true and therefore, satisfies the final condition for a rigorous

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