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Chapters: Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Quackwatch, James Randi Educational Foundation, the National Council Against Health Fraud, Center for Inquiry, Pigasus Award, List of Skeptics and Skeptical Organizations, the Skeptics Society, Australian Skeptics, Vereniging Tegen de Kwakzalverij, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, Föreningen Vetenskap Och Folkbildning, Cicap, Stichting Skepsis, Abraham Kovoor's Challenge, Irish Skeptics Society, Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion, Skeptik.ee, New Zealand Skeptics, Science and Rationalists' Association of India, Independent Investigations Group, New England Skeptical Society, Military Association of Atheists ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Review of Metaphysics, published by Philosophy Education Society, Inc. on March 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1079 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Greco, John. Putting Skeptics in Their Place: the Nature of Skeptical Arguments and Their Role in Philosophical Inquiry. (book review)
Author: Brian Ribeiro
Publication: The Review of Metaphysics (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2002
Publisher: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
Volume: 55Issue: 3Page: 632(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This book is about the nature of skeptical arguments and their role in philosophical inquiry. John Greco delineates three main theses: that a number of historically prominent skeptical arguments make no obvious mistake, and therefore cannot be easily dismissed; that the analysis of skeptical arguments is philosophically useful and important, and should therefore have a central place in the methodology of philosophy; and that taking skeptical arguments seriously requires us to adopt an externalist, reliabilist epistemology.This book will be of interest to professionals and graduate students in epistemology and moral philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

skeptics, go home!
Skepticism has been a companion to philosophical enquiry. Socrates favorite strategy was to attract his opponent favor by friendly talk, slowly leading him to expose his weak points to a sharp and restless skeptic attack. when asked to make a point, he always hid behind a now famous confession of ignorance.Rhis reminds us of the nature of early philosophical practice, a search for truth with skeptical tools. Plato, the first dogmatic, followed his mentor,s skeptical way of enquiry. Plato,s academy clearly didn,t inherit its founder,s doctrine. It ended up in skeptical doubt rather than in a temple to worship, say, the Sunlight of truth. Could it be possible that the skeptic wins them all. Since the early Greek days, philosophical enquiry has been an atempt to deal with the skeptical challenge, either by facing it in open field of arguments on foundations, or by ignoringit by walking on the safe path of nature. Author J.Greco is in fine company:the whole philosophers team backs his attempt to put the skeptic in his place. Amd wishes him luck this time! ... Read more

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Features include: Brain Science, God Science: Why Religion endures; How religion resists the challenge of science; War of the weasels; Power balance technology; The alarms of hormone replacement therapy; Did a cosmic impact kill the mammoths?; When scientists actually change their minds; Keep libel out of science; Chasing the ghost bird: Interview with Scott Crocker. ... Read more

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CONTENTS


I.Of the different Species of Philosophy
II. Of the Origin of Ideas
III.Of the Association of Ideas
IV. Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operations of the Understanding
V.Sceptical Solution of these Doubts
VI. Of Probability
VII.Of the Idea of necessary Connexion
VIII. Of Liberty and Necessity
IX. Of the Reason of Animals
X.Of Miracles
XI. Of a particular Providence and of a future State
XII.Of the academical or sceptical Philosophy



INDEX




SECTION I.

OF THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF PHILOSOPHY.


1. Moral philosophy, or the science of human nature, may be treated
after two different manners; each of which has its peculiar merit, and
may contribute to the entertainment, instruction, and reformation of
mankind. The one considers man chiefly as born for action; and as
influenced in his measures by taste and sentiment; pursuing one object,
and avoiding another, according to the value which these objects seem to
possess, and according to the light in which they present themselves. As
virtue, of all objects, is allowed to be the most valuable, this species
of philosophers paint her in the most amiable colours; borrowing all
helps from poetry and eloquence, and treating their subject in an easy
and obvious manner, and such as is best fitted to please the
imagination, and engage the affections. They select the most striking
observations and instances from common life; place opposite characters
in a proper contrast; and alluring us into the paths of virtue by the
views of glory and happiness, direct our steps in these paths by the
soundest precepts and most illustrious examples. They make us _feel_ the
difference between vice and virtue; they excite and regulate our
sentiments; and so they can but bend our hearts to the love of probity
and true honour, they think, that they have fully attained the end of
all their labours.

2. The other species of philosophers consider man in the light of a
reasonable rather than an active being, and endeavour to form his
understanding more than cultivate his manners. They regard human nature
as a subject of speculation; and with a narrow scrutiny examine it, in
order to find those principles, which regulate our understanding, excite
our sentiments, and make us approve or blame any particular object,
action, or behaviour. They think it a reproach to all literature, that
philosophy should not yet have fixed, beyond controversy, the foundation
of morals, reasoning, and criticism; and should for ever talk of truth
and falsehood, vice and virtue, beauty and deformity, without being able
to determine the source of these distinctions. While they attempt this
arduous task, they are deterred by no difficulties; but proceeding from
particular instances to general principles, they still push on their
enquiries to principles more general, and rest not satisfied till they
arrive at those original principles, by which, in every science, all
human curiosity must be bounded. Though their speculations seem
abstract, and even unintelligible to common readers, they aim at the
approbation of the learned and the wise; and think themselves
sufficiently compensated for the labour of their whole lives, if they
can discover some hidden truths, which may contribute to the instruction
of posterity.

3. It is certain that the easy and obvious philosophy will always, with
the generality of mankind, have the preference above the accurate and
abstruse; and by many will be recommended, not only as more agreeable,
but more useful than the other. It enters more into common life; moulds
the heart and affections; and, by touching those principles which
actuate men, reforms their conduct, and brings them nearer to that model
of perfection which it describes. On the contrary, the abstruse
philosophy, being founded on a turn of mind, which cannot enter into
business and action, vanishes when the philosopher leaves the shade, and
comes into open day; ... Read more