Skepticism

"Skepticism: An Anthology offers selections from many of the major Western philosophers who have grappled with the two main questions of epistemology: What can we know? and How do we know it? The skeptical tradition questioned the veracity of many knowledge claims and the means by which that knowledge was supposedly obtained in order to reach the core of what could truly be known. This volume contains the principal texts of the skeptical tradition from its origins in antiquity to contemporary philosophy. Selections include the writings of both well-known philosophers of the Western tradition - such as Montaigne, Descartes, Pascal, Locke, Hume, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, James, Wittgenstein, Feyerabend, and Fogelin - and lesser-known but influential philosophers including Hervet, Charron, Sanchez, Gassendi, Crousaz, Schulze, and Shestov - who either advanced skeptical views or dealt with skeptical issues in order to confront some specific problems in philosophy or religion. The editors' introduction to the origins, kinds, and significance of philosophical skepticism places the readings in their appropriate historical contexts. Richard H. Popkin and Jose R. Maia Neto have also added brief discussions about each philosopher and the selections included in the anthology, plus a selected bibliography, which lists the main secondary literature on ancient, modern, and contemporary skepticism." "This collection is an introduction to an enduring and profoundly influential school of thought as well as stimulating reading for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of humankind's unending desire to learn more about itself and the world."--Jacket.