Descartes and Locke Discussion Questions

Descartes: Evil Deceiver

Descartes argues that without a belief in God we cannot be sure we live in reality. Yes, this is the basis of The Matrix. Is he right; how can secularists be certain we aren't living in an illusion or a dream?  Describe a universal system for differentiating reality from fantasy or dream. 

Or, let's put it in more pressing terms: how do we differentiate between what is true and false? What is Descartes' answer?

Locke: Human Understanding

Are humans born with a blank slate, or is there some sort of “innate knowledge” that Locke ignores?  Or, put another way, how has Locke's theory been challenged by modern pyschology?

The phrase, value and concept that "all men [humans] are created equal" is founded on Locke's theory of the tabula rasa -- are we still all "equal" if that concept is proven false?