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Philosophical Skepticism

Copyright © 2003 Charles Landesman and Roblin Meeks

Philosophical Skepticism

Editor(s): Charles Landesman, Roblin Meeks

Published Online: 15 APR 2008

Print ISBN: 9780631213536

Online ISBN: 9780470693476

DOI: 10.1002/9780470693476

About this Book

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Philosophical Skepticism provides a selection of texts drawn from the skeptical tradition of Western philosophy as well as texts written by opponents of skepticism. Taken together with the historical introduction by Landesman and Meeks, these texts clearly illustrate the profound influence that skeptical stances have had on the nature of philosophical inquiry.


  • Draws a selection of texts from the skeptical tradition of Western philosophy as well as texts written by opponents of skepticism.
  • Spans centuries of skeptical and anti-skeptical arguments, from Socrates to Rorty.
  • Includes essays by Plato, Cicero, Diogenes Laertius, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Russell, Quine, Nagel, and many others.
  • Provides a solid foundation for further study.

Table of contents

    1. You have free access to this content
      Frontmatter (pages i–ix)

    1. Introduction (pages 1–6)

  3. Part I: Global Skepticism

    1. Chapter 1

      Plato, from Apology (pages 9–22)

    2. Chapter 2

      Diogenes Laertius, from Pyrrho (pages 23–29)

    3. Chapter 3

      Cicero, from Academica (pages 30–33)

    4. Chapter 4

      Sextus Empiricus, from Outlines of Pyrrhonism (pages 35–44)

    5. Chapter 5

      René Descartes,“Meditation I” (pages 46–50)

    6. Chapter 6

      David Hume, from An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (pages 51–77)

    7. Chapter 7

      Thomas Nagel, from the View from Nowhere (pages 78–89)

    8. Chapter 8

      Peter Unger, “A Defense of Skepticism” (pages 90–109)

  4. Part II: Skeptical Topics - Perception

    1. Chapter 9

      W. T. Stace, “The Refutation of Realism” (pages 114–124)

    2. Chapter 10

      G. E. Moore, from “Proof of an External World” (pages 125–131)

    3. Chapter 11

      J. L. Austin, from Sense and Sensibilia (pages 132–146)

  5. Part II: Skeptical Topics - Induction

    1. Chapter 12

      Hans Reichenbach, from The Theory of Probability (pages 148–157)

    2. Chapter 13

      Michael Levin, “Reliabilism and Induction” (pages 158–168)

  6. Part II: Skeptical Topics - Other Minds

    1. Chapter 14

      Thomas Nagel, “Other Minds” (pages 170–174)

    2. Chapter 15

      Bertrand Russell, “Analogy” (pages 175–179)

    3. Chapter 16

      Norman Malcolm, “Knowledge of Other Minds” (pages 180–190)

  7. Part II: Skeptical Topics - Self-Knowledge

    1. Chapter 17

      René Descartes, “Meditation II” (pages 192–200)

    2. Chapter 18

      David Hume, “Of Personal Identity” (pages 201–213)

    3. Chapter 19

      Immanuel Kant, from “The Paralogisms of Pure Reason” (pages 214–218)

    4. Chapter 20

      Friedrich Nietzsche, from Beyond Good and Evil (pages 219–221)

    5. Chapter 21

      Ludwig Wittgenstein, from Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (pages 222–224)

  8. Part II: Skeptical Topics - Religious Belief

    1. Chapter 22

      Michel de Montaigne, from “Apology for Raymond Sebond” (pages 226–231)

    2. Chapter 23

      Blaise Pascal, from Pensées (pages 232–241)

    3. Chapter 24

      David Hume, from “Of Miracles” (pages 242–255)

    4. Chapter 25

      Søren Kierkegaard, from Concluding Unscientific Postscript (pages 256–270)

  9. Part III: Responses and Reactions

    1. Chapter 26

      René Descartes, from “Meditation VI” (pages 273–283)

    2. Chapter 27

      Jean-Baptiste Moliere, from The Forced Marriage (pages 284–286)

    3. Chapter 28

      David Hume, from A Treatise of Human Nature (pages 287–295)

    4. Chapter 29

      Thomas Reid, from Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man (pages 296–309)

    5. Chapter 30

      Immanuel Kant, from Prolegomena and Critique of Pure Reason (pages 310–321)

    6. Chapter 31

      Martin Heidegger, from Being and Time (pages 322–323)

    7. Chapter 32

      W. V. Quine, from “Two Dogmas of Empiricism” and “Epistemology Naturalized” (pages 324–343)

    8. Chapter 33

      Richard Rorty, “Solidarity or Objectivity?” (pages 344–360)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Index (pages 361–364)

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