Philosophy from a Skeptical Perspective

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 17
1 Introduction......Page 19
The Practical Side of Philosophy......Page 23
The History of Epistemology......Page 25
Error Avoidance and the Foundations of Knowledge......Page 28
A Word about Metaphysics......Page 39
The Strange Story of the Idea of Error Avoidance......Page 42
Second Note......Page 50
Third Note......Page 53
Fourth Note......Page 55
Fifth Note......Page 56
Sixth Note......Page 57
Seventh Note......Page 58
The Case of Mathematics and Logic......Page 60
The Skeptical Arguments......Page 63
Skepticism in Epistemology......Page 72
Practical Implications......Page 75
3 Science......Page 78
The Critique of Empiricism......Page 81
The Probability Theory of Rational Beliefs......Page 83
The Minimum Unexpectedness Hypothesis on Beliefs......Page 87
Theories Adjusted Ad Hoc......Page 94
Simplicity and Occam’s Razor......Page 96
Predictions and Explanations......Page 98
Tradition......Page 99
Applications......Page 101
Skepticism in Ethics......Page 104
Toward a Psychological Theory of Moral Judgments......Page 108
Maximizing the Welfare of Humanity......Page 111
Liberalism as the Default Option......Page 117
Utilitarian versus Kantian Ethics......Page 120
Sympathy......Page 125
Moral Disputes......Page 126
More Against Reductionism in Ethics......Page 128
The Justification of Sovereignty......Page 130
Toward a Psychological Theory of the Morality of Politics......Page 132
The Fear of Social Disorders......Page 136
Political Disputes......Page 137
The Dissolution of the Nation-State......Page 139
Democracy versus Dictatorship......Page 140
Skepticism in Aesthetics......Page 144
Aesthetics and Beauty......Page 147
Toward a Psychological Theory of Beauty......Page 148
The Evolution of Art......Page 151
Beauty and Pleasure......Page 152
Repetitions (1)......Page 154
Repetitions (2)......Page 155
Pretty Average Faces......Page 157
Humor......Page 158
Non-Reductionism and Non-Relativism......Page 159
Aesthetic Disputes......Page 161
The Next Step......Page 163
Psychology......Page 164
The Meaning of Life......Page 165
Glossary......Page 169
Further Reading......Page 173
Bibliography......Page 175
Index......Page 177