The Sceptical Challenge

The Sceptical Challenge PDF Author: Ruth Weintraub
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134770871
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
Do we really know the things we think we know? Are any of our beliefs reasonable? Scepticism gives a pessimistic reply to these important epistemological questions - we don't know anything; none of our beliefs are reasonable. But can such a seemingly paradoxical claim be more than an intellectual curiousity? And if it is, can it be refuted? Ruth Weintraub answers yes to both these questions. The sceptical challenge is a formidable one, and should be confronted, not dismissed. The theoretical and practical difficulties it presents - in that the sceptical life cannot be lived, and the doctrine seems self-defeating - are in fact superficial, according to Ruth Weintraub. Her study looks at the sceptical arguments of Descartes, Hume and the ancient Greek sceptic, Sextus Empiricus. The author argues that by drawing on philosophy, rather than science, the sceptical challenge can be answered. The Sceptical Challenge is a bold and original response to scepticism; it represents a new way of looking at the field for philosophers of epistemology.

The Sceptical Challenge

The Sceptical Challenge PDF Author: Ruth Weintraub
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134770871
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Get Book Here

Book Description
Do we really know the things we think we know? Are any of our beliefs reasonable? Scepticism gives a pessimistic reply to these important epistemological questions - we don't know anything; none of our beliefs are reasonable. But can such a seemingly paradoxical claim be more than an intellectual curiousity? And if it is, can it be refuted? Ruth Weintraub answers yes to both these questions. The sceptical challenge is a formidable one, and should be confronted, not dismissed. The theoretical and practical difficulties it presents - in that the sceptical life cannot be lived, and the doctrine seems self-defeating - are in fact superficial, according to Ruth Weintraub. Her study looks at the sceptical arguments of Descartes, Hume and the ancient Greek sceptic, Sextus Empiricus. The author argues that by drawing on philosophy, rather than science, the sceptical challenge can be answered. The Sceptical Challenge is a bold and original response to scepticism; it represents a new way of looking at the field for philosophers of epistemology.

Knowledge

Knowledge PDF Author: Jennifer Nagel
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 019966126X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
What is knowledge? Is it the same as opinion or truth? Do you need to be able to justify a claim in order to count as knowing it? How can we know that the outer world is real and not a dream? Questions like these have existed since ancient times, and the branch of philosophy dedicated to answering them - epistemology - has been active for thousands of years. In this thought-provoking Very Short Introduction, Jennifer Nagel considers the central problems and paradoxes in the theory of knowledge and draws attention to the ways in which philosophers and theorists have responded to them. By exploring the relationship between knowledge and truth, and considering the problem of scepticism, Nagel introduces a series of influential historical and contemporary theories of knowledge, incorporating methods from logic, linguistics, and psychology, using a number of everyday examples to demonstrate the key issues and debates. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The Skeptics

The Skeptics PDF Author: Steven Luper
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138263796
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
The Skeptics is a new anthology of work by internationally renowned philosophers who present cutting-edge research into the problem of skepticism. An introductory essay by the editor outlines current thought and introduces the key themes in the ensuing chapters. Two seminal essays are reprinted amongst the many contributions published here for the first time: Hilary Putnam's Brains in Vats,¿ and David Lewis' Elusive Knowledge¿. The Skeptics discusses a range of approaches to knowledge, including coherentism, relativism, contextualism, and externalism, and explores different forms of skepticism, including regress or Pyrrhonian skepticism, indiscernability or Cartesian skepticism, and 'philosophical' skepticism. An extensive bibliography is included, offering a guide to further reading. Presented throughout in an accessible style, this book will prove particularly useful for students, researchers and general readers of philosophy who are interested in epistemology and related areas.

Introducing Philosophy

Introducing Philosophy PDF Author: D. Z. Phillips
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631200413
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Written specifically with beginning undergraduates with little or no previous knowledge of the subject in mind, this is a distinctive and thoughtful introduction to the main problems of philosophy structured around a philosophical argument which is clearly and carefully developed throughout the book.

The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Scepticism

The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Scepticism PDF Author: Richard Bett
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139828215
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
This volume offers a comprehensive survey of the main periods, schools, and individual proponents of scepticism in the ancient Greek and Roman world. The contributors examine the major developments chronologically and historically, ranging from the early antecedents of scepticism to the Pyrrhonist tradition. They address the central philosophical and interpretive problems surrounding the sceptics' ideas on subjects including belief, action, and ethics. Finally, they explore the effects which these forms of scepticism had beyond the ancient period, and the ways in which ancient scepticism differs from scepticism as it has been understood since Descartes. The volume will serve as an accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the subject for non-specialists, while also offering considerable depth and detail for more advanced readers.

The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism

The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism PDF Author: Barry Stroud
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198247613
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
He author argues that the sceptical thesis is motivated by a persistent philosophical problem that calls the very possibility of knowledge about the external world into question, and that the sceptical thesis is the only acceptable answer to this problem as traditionally posed.

Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to Philosophy PDF Author: Guy Axtell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781989014264
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology engages first-time philosophy readers on a guided tour through the core concepts, questions, methods, arguments, and theories of epistemology-the branch of philosophy devoted to the study of knowledge. After a brief overview of the field, the book progresses systematically while placing central ideas and thinkers in historical and contemporary context. The chapters cover the analysis of knowledge, the nature of epistemic justification, rationalism vs. empiricism, skepticism, the value of knowledge, the ethics of belief, Bayesian epistemology, social epistemology, and feminist epistemologies. Along the way, instructors and students will encounter a wealth of additional resources and tools: Chapter learning outcomes Key terms Images of philosophers and related art Useful diagrams and tables Boxes containing excerpts and other supplementary material Questions for reflection Suggestions for further reading A glossary For an undergraduate survey epistemology course, Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology is ideal when used as a main text paired with primary sources and scholarly articles. For an introductory philosophy course, select book chapters are best used in combination with chapters from other books in the Introduction to Philosophy series: https: //www1.rebus.community/#/project/4ec7ecce-d2b3-4f20-973c-6b6502e7cbb2.

Postmodern Theory and Progressive Politics

Postmodern Theory and Progressive Politics PDF Author: Thomas de Zengotita
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319906895
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
This book explores the origins of the academic culture wars of the late 20th century and examines their lasting influence on the humanities and progressive politics. It puts us in a position to ask this question: what to make now of those furious debates over postmodernism, multiculturalism, relativism, critical theory, deconstruction, post-structuralism, and all the rest? In an effort to arrive at a fair judgment on that question, the book reaches for an understanding of postmodern theorists by way of two genres they despised and hopes, for that very reason, to do them justice. It tells a story, and in the telling, advances two basic claims: first, that the phenomenological/hermeneutical tradition is the most suitable source of theory for a humanism that aspires to be universal; and, second, that the ethical and political aspect of the human condition is authentically accessible only through narrative. In conclusion, it argues that the postmodern moment was a necessary one, or will have been if we rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity it offers: a truly universal humanism might yet be realized even in—or perhaps especially in—this atavistic hour of parochial populism.

Skepticism

Skepticism PDF Author: G. Anthony Bruno
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351976265
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 446

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Book Description
Skepticism is one of the most enduring and profound of philosophical problems. With its roots in Plato and the Sceptics to Descartes, Hume, Kant and Wittgenstein, skepticism presents a challenge that every philosopher must reckon with. In this outstanding collection philosophers engage with skepticism in five clear sections: the philosophical history of skepticism in Greek, Cartesian and Kantian thought; the nature and limits of certainty; the possibility of knowledge and related problems such as perception and the debates between objective knowledge and constructivism; the transcendental method as a response to skepticism and the challenge of naturalism; overcoming the skeptical challenge. Skepticism: Historical and Contemporary Inquiries is essential reading for students and scholars in epistemology and the history of philosophy and will also be of interest to those in related disciplines such as religion and sociology.

The Demands of Reason

The Demands of Reason PDF Author: Casey Perin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019955790X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
Casey Perin presents a new interpretation of key ideas and arguments in Sextus Empiricus' Outlines of Pyrrhonism, a founding text of the Sceptical tradition in philosophy. Perin examines Sextus' commitment to the search for truth and to certain principles of rationality, the scope of his scepticism, and its consequences for action and agency.