The Power and Value of Philosophical Skepticism

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Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1996 - Philosophy - 110 pages
How should we react to philosophical skepticism? Jeffrey P. Whitman answers this question in The Power and Value of Philosophical Skepticism by examining analytic and post-analytic responses to the problem of skepticism concerning our knowledge of the external world. Whitman analyzes skeptical arguments that call into question our ability to obtain empirical knowledge. He tests analytical theories of knowledge (foundationalism, coherentalism, and reliabilism) and the post-analytical responses of Donald Davidson and Richard Rorty against skeptical arguments. Whitman explores the failure of analytic and post-analytic theories and concludes that embracing a theoretical version of philosophical skepticism has advantages over post-analytic responses - both in the realm of philosophical inquiry and in everyday life.

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Contents

Chapter Three Skepticism
15
Chapter Five Nondoxastic Theories of Knowledge
41
Chapter Seven PostAnalytic Solutions to Skepticism
61
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About the author (1996)

Jeffrey P. Whitman is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Susquehanna University. His articles have appeared in The Journal of Social Philosophy, Public Affairs Quarterly, Professional Ethics, and Social Theory and Practice.

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