Skepticism

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the philosophical argument behind skepticism is that one does not have knowledge at a given moment. The author then presents the views of moderate skeptics who have argued that knowledge is theoretically possible and other more radical skeptics, who feel that the attainment of true knowledge is not possible. The paper concurs with Thomas Reid, who concluded that there is no real way to know if knowledge is derived from purely internal processes, the external world or some combination thereof.

From the Paper:

"Local skeptics, on the other hand, feel that individuals may have knowledge about specific areas. This, of course, is the less radical form of skepticism. Local skeptics tend to be skeptical about certain forms of knowledge, but remain undoubtful about others. In different fields of inquiry, different forms of skepticism may emerge. A person may believe in the existence of the external world, for instance, while remaining skeptical about the existence of certain phenomena in that world."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Pritchard, D. (2005). Epistemic Luck. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Pritchard, D. (2007). "How to be a Neo-Moorean," Internalism and Externalism in Semantics and Epistemology, (ed.) S. Goldberg. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

More papers on Skepticism:

• Term Paper # 135635 : "The Nature of Skepticism"
• Essay # 87211 : "Philosophical Skepticism and Rhetoric in Sophism"
• Argumentative Essay # 31335 : "Descartes' Skepticism."

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