How is something true and real?

Knowing that you have taken a philosophy course, someone asks you the question, "but how do you KNOW that something is true and real?" Rather than being trapped into an "answer," be smart and give the person some alternative ways of "KNOWING." Mention the philosophers in Chapter 5 as you talk about their theories as you try to convince your friend that they have something valid to offer. You ask, "How do you KNOW that something …

…into believing something which doesn't exist, that the world and other selves do exist, and that our mind has reasoned to their existence on clear and distinct ideas (Pg 360, 7th edition). Kant combines the ideas of rationalists and empiricists and proposes transcendental idealism, which says that both reason and senses help us in knowing. So depending on who you agree with more, you can take up either of these approaches in your quest for truth.