Skepticism

Skepticism (American English) or scepticism (British English, Australian English, and Canadian English) is generally any questioning attitude or doubt towards one or more items of putative knowledge or belief. It is often directed at domains, such as the supernatural, morality (moral skepticism), religion (skepticism about the existence of God), or knowledge (skepticism about the possibility of knowledge, or of certainty).

History

Skepticism is not a single position but covers a range of different positions. In the ancient world there were two main skeptical traditions. Academic skepticism takes its name from Plato's Academy and was the dominant form of skepticism during the Hellenistic period. Pyrrhonian skepticism, by contrast, takes its name from Pyrrho of Elis and was revived by Aenesidemus in the first century BCE.

Philosophical skepticism

Philosophical skepticism is a systematic approach that questions the notion that absolute knowledge is possible. The philosopher Pyrrho is usually credited with founding this school of thought. Philosophical skepticism, as opposed to philosophical dogmatism, asserts that knowledge of reality is impossible, or at least that certainty about reality is impossible.

Religious skepticism

Religious skepticism is "doubt concerning basic religious principles (such as immortality, providence, and revelation)". This form of skepticism can be either a temporary suspension of judgment or a more permanent denial of the validity of religious claims.

Scientific skepticism

Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism (also spelled scepticism), sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a practical, epistemological position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence.

See also

• Agnosticism
• Atheism
• Critical thinking
• Empiricism
• Fallibilism
• Rationalism
• Solipsism

References

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