Key Terms
the philosophical term for the approach of doubting or questioning the truthfulness or validity of claims, especially those lacking empirical evidence or sound reasoning?
Skepticism
This concept refers to the belief that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain.
Agnosticism
What is the term for the philosophical stance that argues against skepticism by positing that some knowledge is certain and can be relied upon, even if not all knowledge can be completely certain?
Foundationalism
The view that some or all knowledge is impossible.
Philosophical skepticism
The term for the reasoning where one concludes that a claim is true or false based on a person making the claim, rather than the evidence or argument presented
Skeptical Fallacies
This principle, often attributed to William of Ockham, suggests that among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.
Occam's Razor
This philosophical school of thought argues that skepticism fails to recognize the practical necessity of certain beliefs for everyday life, such as the belief in the existence of an external world or the reliability of memory and perception.
Pragmatism
This type of skepticism questions the existence of objective moral truths or principles, suggesting that moral judgments are subjective or culturally relative?
What is ethical/moral skepticism?
A view that questions the possibility of knowledge in a particular area of study.
Local Scepticism
This maxim, popularized by Christopher Hitchens, states: "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without".
Hitchens's Razor
his famous argument against skepticism, proposed by René Descartes, asserts that even if one doubts everything, the act of doubting itself implies the existence of a doubter, thereby providing a foundation for certain knowledge.
"Cogito ergo sum"
This type of skeptcism questions the reliability of our sensory perception.
Empirical skepticism
The term describes the philosophical position that human knowledge is inherently uncertain and subject to revision in the face of new evidence or arguments?
Fallibilism
This term refers to the philosophical questioning of the reality of one’s own conception, doubting the existence of anything but one’s own mind.
Solipsism
based on G.E. Moore’s statement “I know I have two hands”.
the “Common Sense” argument
It demands rigorous evidence and analyzation, using empirical evidence as the basis for knowledge.
Scientific skepticism