Skepticism: From Antiquity to the Present

by Diego E. Machuca (Editor), Baron Reed (Editor)

From Antiquity to the Present is an authoritative and up-to-date survey of the entire history of skepticism. Divided chronologically into ancient, medieval, renaissance, modern, and contemporary periods, and featuring 50 specially-commissioned chapters from leading philosophers, this comprehensive volume is the first of its kind.

By exploring each of the distinct traditions and providing expert insights, this extensive reference

- covers major thinkers such as Sextus Empiricus, Cicero, Descartes, Hume, Spinoza, and Wittgenstein.
- acknowledges the influence of ancient skeptical traditions on later philosophy and explains why it is still a fertile topic of inquiry among today's philosophers and historians of philosophy.
- analyzes various forms of skepticism including Pyrrhonian, Academic, religious, moral, and neo-Pyrrhonian.
- addresses issues in contemporary epistemology and indicates new directions of study.

Skepticism, a driving force in the history of philosophy, remains at the center of debates in ethics, philosophy of religion, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind. From Antiquity to the Present is an essential point of reference for any student, researcher, or practitioner of philosophy, presenting a systematic and historical survey of this core philosophical topic.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

768 pages, Hardcover

First published December 17, 2015

Reviews

[Massimo Pigliucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in skepticism in all its forms. And I think everyone should be interested in skepticism! However, the volume is also an unintended contrast between the usefulness of ancient philosophy and the navel-gazing and logical hair-splitting of contemporary philosophy. The first section of the book, devoted to practical ancient skepticism, is fascinating and pragmatic. The last section, devoted to contemporary issues, is a good example of why nowadays nobody bothers to read academic philosophers (and I'm one of them, so I know what I'm talking about first hand). Interestingly, the two middle sections--on Medieval and "modern" (meaning, Renaissance to Enlightenment) skepticism are a mix bag of interesting and useful essays contrasted with boring and self-absorbed ones. Still, as I said, a must read if one wants to know about skepticism, its significance, and its history.