EPISTEMOLOGY is not only skepticism nor is there just one type. I would like to clarify something I keep hearing said about the ability to grasp of knowledge (ie. The Theory of Knowledge or the philosophy of EPISTEMOLOGY) SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE: RATIONALISM, EMPIRICISM, SKEPTICISM, IDEALISM, and SCIENCE Philosophical skepticism refrains from making truth claims. A philosophical skeptic does not claim that there is no such thing as truth, which would of course be a truth claim itself. rep.routledge/article/P059 This indistinguishability between trustworthy and untrustworthy belief, the argument goes, renders all of our beliefs unjustified, and thus we cannot know anything. A satisfactory response to this argument, then, must show either that we are indeed able to distinguish between true and false beliefs, or that we need not be able to make such a distinction. iep.utm.edu/epistemo/ Another Philosophical skepticism is one type the other is Scientific skepticism (or empirical) also also spelled scepticism. Scientific skepticism is also called rational skepticism, and it is sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry which is used by those who questions beliefs on the basis of scientific understanding. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_skepticism Scepticism comes in many forms. In one form, the requirements for knowledge become so stringent that knowledge becomes impossible, or virtually impossible, to obtain. Other forms of scepticism only require that knowledge be based upon good, but not logically unassailable, reasoning. rep.routledge/article/P059Most Scientists, being scientific skeptics, test the reliability of certain kinds of claims by subjecting them to a systematic investigation using some form of the scientific method. Empirical or scientific skeptics do not admit to philosophical skepticism. A philosophical skeptic may deny the very existence of knowledge, whereas a scientific skeptic only seeks proof before accepting knowledge. Then there is also pseudo skeptical behavior when they characterize themselves as skeptics despite cherry picking evidence that conforms to a pre-existing belief. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_skepticism What often goes under the banner of skepticism today is usually a mixture of scientific and methodological skepticism. Methodological skepticism seeks to determine true and false claims by apportioning strength of belief to the amount of evidence supporting a certain claim. Scientific skepticism is the application of this to the scientific arena. This form of skepticism is also associated with atheism and secular humanist ethics as espoused by figures like Paul Kurtz. It usually accompanies philosophical naturalism and may incorporate weaker forms of philosophical skepticism as well. rationalwiki.org/wiki/Skepticism
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:31:04 +0000