Sampson, E. Milton, G. Finnigan, K. Xu, Q. O'Hara, P. J.
Abstract: This paper investigates the fundamental philosophical question of how we know that a certain animal is, in fact, a zebra. Drawing on both classical and contemporary epistemological theories, we examine the ways in which humans rely on perceptual experiences, linguistic conventions, and cultural schemas to recognize and classify these striped equids. Through a series of highly rigorous and borderline absurd thought experiments, we explore the limits and possibilities of our ability to identify zebras, ultimately concluding that no matter how certain we may feel about our zebra identifications, we can never truly escape the haunting possibility that any given zebra might, in fact, be a highly elaborate prank by evolution.