[MD] knowledge

[John Carl]

Ok, I'm about to be a wiki spouting dweeb, but have you guys read the wiki
on epistemology lately?  Fascinating stuff.  Reading it last night was like
attending a posh cocktail party where I don't belong and then all of sudden
recognizing many old friends.

First, a lengthy explanation of "know-how vs. know-that" (didya know that
some languages make this distinction, including Scottish?)  And then I came
across this:

"Though Descartes could doubt his senses, his body and the world around him,
he could not deny his own existence, because he was able to doubt and must
exist in order to do so. Even if some "evil genius" were to be deceiving
him, he would have to exist in order to be deceived. However from this
Descartes did not go as far as to define what he was. This was pointed out
by the materialist philosopher Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655) who accused
Descartes of saying that he was "not this and not that," while never saying
what exactly was existing. One could argue that this is not an edifying
question, because it doesn't matter what exactly exists, it only matters
that it does indeed exist."

John}

One could argue alternatively, I suppose, that it doesn't matter at all what
does indeed exist, but it matters much "what exactly exists".  As in, "the
myriad things arise and confirm the self"  - a proper refutation of the
dearly Descarted, imo.