The Oxford Handbook of Skepticism

by John Greco

Overview

In the history of philosophical thought, few themes loom as large as skepticism. Skepticism has been the most visible and important part of debates about knowledge. Skepticism at its most basic questions our cognitive achievements, challenges our ability to obtain reliable knowledge; casting doubt on our attempts to seek and understand the truth about everything from ethics, to other minds, religious belief, and even the underlying structure of matter and reality. Since Descartes, the defense of knowledge against skepticism has been one of the primary tasks not just of epistemology but philosophy itself.

The Oxford Handbook of Skepticism features twenty-six newly commissioned chapters by top figures in the field. Part One contains articles explaining important kinds of skeptical reasoning. Part Two focuses on responses to skeptical arguments. Part Three concentrates on important contemporary issues revolving around skepticism. As the first volume of its kind, the articles make significant contributions to the debate on skepticism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195183214
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/22/2008
Series:	Oxford Handbooks
Pages:	624
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

John Greco is Professor and Leonard and Elizabeth Eslick Chair in Philosophy, Saint Louis University

Table of Contents

Introduction, John GrecoPart I. Varieties of Skepticism and Skeptical Arguments1. The Pyrrhonian Problematic, Markus Lammenranta2. The Problem of the Criterion, Richard Fumerton3. Cartesian Skepticism: Arguments and Antecedents, José Luis Bermúdez4. Hume's Skepticism, Michael Williams5. Skepticism about the External World, John Greco6. Skepticism about Induction, Ruth Weintraub7. Skepticism about A Priori Justification: Self-evidence, Defeasibility, and Cogito Propositions, Robert Audi8. Moral Realism, Quasi-Realism and Skepticism, Terence Cuneo9. Religious Skepticism, Paul K. Moser10. Live Skeptical Hypotheses, Bryan FrancesPart II. Responses to Skepticism11. Berkeley's Treatment of Skepticism, George Pappas12. Kant's Response to Skepticism, Robert Stern13. Reid's Response to Skepticism, James Van Cleve14. Peirce and Skepticism, Christopher Hookway15. Moore's Common Sense Response, Noah Lemos16. Austin's Way with Skepticism, Mark Kaplan17. Wittgentein on Certainty, Marie McGinn18. Relativism as a Response to Skepticism, Peter J. GrahamPart III. Contemporary Issues19. Ascriber Contextualism, Stewart Cohen20. Sensitivity, Safety, and Anti-Luck Epistemology, Duncan Pritchard21. Closure and Alternative Possibilities, Jonathan Kvanvig22. Contemporary Responses to the Regress Argument, Peter Klein23. Externalist Responses to Skepticism, Michael Bergmann24. Internalist Responses to Skepticism, Jonathan Vogel25. Virtue-theoretic Responses to Skepticism, Guy Axtell26. Disjunctivism and Skepticism, Alan Miller