Philosophy from a Skeptical Perspective

Name: Philosophy from a Skeptical Perspective
Price: 5.7 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780521726399

ISBN-10: 0521726395

ISBN-13: 9780521726399

Edition: 2008

Authors: Joseph Agassi, Abraham Meidan

List price: $30.99

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Description:

One of the questions that philosophers discuss is: How can we avoid, or at least reduce, errors when explaining the world? The skeptical answer to this question is: We cannot avoid errors since no statement is certain or even definitely plausible, but we can eliminate some past errors. This book advocates the skeptical position and discusses its practical applications in science, ethics, aesthetics, and politics. It brings philosophy down to earth and comprises an outline of a skeptical guide to the real world.

Book details

List price: $30.99
Copyright year: 2008
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication date: 6/2/2008
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 180
Size: 5.98" wide x 9.02" long x 0.43" tall
Weight: 0.594
Language: English

Abraham Meidan is an independent scholar of philosophy. He is the chief executive officer of WizSoft, a data-mining software company; Chairman of the Board of Afeka Engineering College in Tel Aviv; and Chairman of the Targetech Innovation Center.



Preface


Acknowledgments



Introduction


The Practical Side of Philosophy


The History of Epistemology


Error Avoidance and the Foundations of Knowledge


A Word about Metaphysics



Skepticism


The Strange Story of the Idea of Error Avoidance


Radical Skepticism


The Case of Mathematics and Logic


The Skeptical Arguments


Skepticism in Epistemology


Practical Implications



Science


The Critique of Empiricism


The Probability Theory of Rational Beliefs


The Minimum Unexpectedness Hypothesis on Beliefs


More on the Paradoxes of Empiricism


Theories Adjusted Ad Hoc


Simplicity and Occam's Razor


Predictions and Explanations


Tradition


Applications



Ethics


Skepticism in Ethics


Toward a Psychological Theory of Moral Judgments


Maximizing the Welfare of Humanity


Liberalism as the Default Option


Utilitarian versus Kantian Ethics


Sympathy


Moral Disputes


More Against Reductionism in Ethics



Politics


The Justification of Sovereignty


Toward a Psychological Theory of the Morality of Politics


The Fear of Social Disorders


Political Disputes


The Dissolution of the Nation-State


Democracy versus Dictatorship



Aesthetics


Skepticism in Aesthetics


Aesthetics and Beauty


Toward a Psychological Theory of Beauty


The Evolution of Art


Non-Beautiful Art


Beauty and Pleasure


Tragedy


Repetitions (1)


Repetitions (2)


Pretty Average Faces


Humor


Non-Reductionism and Non-Relativism


Aesthetic Disputes



Conclusion


The Next Step


Psychology


The Meaning of Life


Glossary


Further Reading


Bibliography


Index