Scepticism, Knowledge, and Forms of Reasoning - Hardcover

Koethe, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801444322 ISBN 13: 9780801444326

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2005

Synopsis

"The problem of philosophical scepticism is not so much what to say about the view itself (there being a consensus that it should be rejected), but rather what to say about the arguments that purport to yield it. And since these arguments involve claims and principles concerning notions like knowledge and possibility, it is difficult to see how to explore the arguments without exploring these notions too."―from the Introduction

How do we address philosophical arguments whose conclusions contradict our commonsense knowledge? For example: a logically impeccable argument that concludes that you cannot know that you are at this very moment reading a description of a book of philosophy. That is the problem of philosophical scepticism.

Scepticism, Knowledge, and Forms of Reasoning is an attempt to resolve how best to respond to such vexing arguments, a matter on which there is no consensus among contemporary philosophers. Rather than denying the premises of such arguments or simply declaring them invalid, John Koethe delves into what such arguments reveal about the nature of reasoning itself. He suggests that there is nothing straightforwardly wrong with sceptical arguments, and that in recognizing this while at the same time honoring our commonsense convictions about knowledge, we confront profound questions about the very nature of reasoning.

About this title

About the Author

John Koethe is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was a Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin for Spring 2005. His many books include The Continuity of Wittgenstein's Thought, also from Cornell, Poetry at One Remove: Essays, North Point North: New and Selected Poems, Falling Water, and the forthcoming Sally's Hair.

Review

"This elegant book develops a novel response to a kind of skeptical argument that has received considerable attention over the past thirty years or so. Koethe critically considers the principal responses to the argument, and in the course of developing his proposal, puts forward intriguing (and sometimes radical) ideas on a broad range of topics, including logical validity, epistemological realism, and the concept of knowledge. The book is highly stimulating and rewarding, and it is also a pleasure to read. All philosophers interested in epistemology―novices and experts alike―will benefit from reading this book."

(Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews)

Edition details

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0801444322
• ISBN 13: 9780801444326
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176