Philosophy from a skeptical perspective / Joseph Agassi, Abraham Meidan.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• Agassi, Joseph, author.
• Meidan, Abraham, 1949- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Skepticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 163 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

One of the questions that philosophers discuss is: How can we avoid, or at least reduce, errors when explaining the world? The skeptical answer to this question is: We cannot avoid errors since no statement is certain or even definitely plausible, but we can eliminate some past errors. This book advocates the skeptical position and discusses its practical applications in science, ethics, aesthetics, and politics. It brings philosophy down to earth and comprises an outline of a skeptical guide to the real world.

Contents:

• Introduction. The practical side of philosophy ; The history of epistemology ; Error avoidance and the foundations of knowledge ; A word about metaphysics
• Skepticism. The strange story of the idea of error avoidance ; Radical skepticism ; The case of mathematics and logic ; The skeptical arguments ; Skepticism in epistemology ; Practical implications
• Science. The critique of empiricism ; The probability theory of rational beliefs ; The minimum unexpectedness hypothesis on beliefs ; More on the paradoxes of empiricism ; Theories adjusted ad hoc ; Simplicity and Occam's razor ; Predictions and explanations ; Tradition ; Applications
• Ethics. Skepticism in ethics ; Toward a psychological theory of moral judgments ; Maximizing the welfare of humanity ; Liberalism as the default option ; Utilitarian versus Kantian ethics ; Sympathy ; Moral disputes ; More against reductionism in ethics
• Politics. The justification of sovereignty ; Toward a psychological theory of the morality of politics ; The fear of social disorders ; Political disputes ; The dissolution of the nation-state ; Democracy versus dictatorship
• Aesthetics. Skepticism in aesthetics ; Aesthetics and beauty ; Toward a psychological theory of beauty ; The evolution of art ; Non-beautiful art ; Beauty and pleasure ; Tragedy ; Repetitions (1) ; Repetitions (2) ; Pretty average faces ; Humor ; Non-reductionism and non-relativism ; Aesthetic disputes
• Conclusion. The next step ; Psychology ; The meaning of life.

Notes:

• Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).
• Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-157) and index.

ISBN:

• 1-107-18806-7
• 1-281-71735-5
• 9786611717353
• 0-511-81284-1
• 0-511-40965-6
• 0-511-40832-3
• 0-511-41019-0
• 0-511-40755-6
• 0-511-40913-3

OCLC:

437213187