...I do not think that a person can be skeptical about everything, and I do think there are limits. With the introduction of the evil genius, Descartes seems to have constructed a skepticism so powerful that it calls into question anything we have ever been certain of: that we have bodies, that there are other people around us, that we're awake when we think we are, and even that 2 + 2 = 4 (Mosser, 2010). This to me seems silly. We do know for fact that if you have two objects, and you add two more of the same exact objects, then you in fact have four objects. The radical skeptic would tell you that there is not four of the same object because they may be different in size, have different colors, etc. I do, however think that it is possible to doubt most things, until they are proven. Some things, such as mathematical equations, cannot be doubted. I use the same example as before, that 2+2=4. We cannot really say, “I doubt that 2+2=4“, because we already know that it is true. We can, however, doubt things such as government, whether or not certain medicines will work, when a person who is gullible tells you something, etc. I do not believe that we can be skeptical about, or doubt scientific and proven facts. I do not believe that we have to use ethics and moral reasoning when examining our beliefs. However, if we did not think about which beliefs are wrong or right, we could be lying to ourselves. Personally, I do not think that holding the belief that “murder is okay”...
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...There are two major schools of skepticism called as Academic and The Pyrrhonian . They are originated in ancient Greek philosophy. Academic skepticism derives its name from the Plato’s Academy which was highly inspired by the remark attributed to Socrates,” All I know that I know nothing” . As said by Arcesilas (c.315-241 B.C.) and Carneades (c.213-129 B.C.) , This skepticism maintains that nothing can be known for certain. The standard greek perception between knowledge which means episteme and opinion which means doxa. If a proposition cannot be shown with the complete certainty which can also mean it might be false and it does not qualify as a true knowledge which is consign to the status of opinion. As per the academic skepticism both our senses and our reasons which are unreliable to some extinct so that we can never claim ti know the absolute truth or any real knowledge. The pyrrhonian skepticism is named after Pyrrho of Elis (c.360 -275 B.C) which is a figure who is portrayed in secondary accounts as a complete skeptic eminently in the ethical manners. The mental misery and misfortune comes from seeking knowledge in the field of values therefore Pyrrho is said to have suspended judgement, thereby attaining the state of mind known to Greek Philosophers as “ATARAXIA”. Pyrrohonian skepticism which was known as distinct theory by Aenesidemus (c.100-40 B.C.). It was Aenesidemus who “assumed” and “doubters”. The two major school academic and pyrrhonian skeptics besieged...
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...Augustine and Skepticism Tina Cribb 6/17/15 Professor Solomon PHI/105 Augustine and Skepticism Skepticism is something that is part of every individual to some extent. Everyone has reasons to be skeptical but there are really only two types of skeptics. The first type are total skeptics, they believe “nothing can be known.” The second type are considered modified skeptics and it is their belief “that at least some things are known.” St. Augustine fell into the second type and developed three refutations to total skepticism. The first of these refutations is what is called the principle of non-contradiction which basically means that two different statements. While this is a strong argument one has to ask the question can anything be proven to be absolute truth. Some things can be proven with science but as science continues to advance some of those proofs are actually disproved. The next refutation is that by being skeptical proves at least one instance that a person cannot be skeptical about. That is the facts that “they are” or else they would not be able to be skeptical. This theory relies heavily on the previous theory because a person cannot be skeptical about who they are if they accept the fact that they are able to be skeptical. So they have to acknowledge at least one proof. The final refutation is that of “sense perception ant that it itself lends to a basic kind of knowledge...
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...Augustine and Skepticism St. Augustine lived a lifestyle as a young man philandering with many different women and bore a son. Although he did not live a mischievous lifestyle, he enjoyed observing those who did. St. Augustine questioned and doubted his way of life allowing his thoughts to ultimately control him. Even thought he was engaged and was to settle down out of respect for his family, he still chose to yet again take on a new lover. He went on to eventually become a professor in the field of teaching rhetoric. His mother a Christian woman had encouraged her son to become baptized which led to Augustine’s service as a Bishop in Northern Africa. Augustine’s beliefs on Total Skepticism is refuted in three different ways and should be considered when analyzing his theories. The first refutation that Augustine refuted was the principle of noncontradiction. This principle basically stated that a both a contradiction as well as a proposition cannot be true; it must be only one or the other. I believe that the contradiction of the stick being straight and not straight shows how a direct contradiction can easily take place. Example, a person says “I’m on a strict diet of not eating meat”, yet the person stating this claim while inside of a steak house eating a steak. The second refutation is Augustine’s holding the act of doubting. The act of doubting shows a person’s existence as something which is very certain: “from the fact I am doubting, it follows automatically...
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...Skeptical Philosophy in Ancient Greece ............... 1 Academic Skepticism ............................................................................ 3 3.1 Arcesilaus .......................................................................................... 3 3.2 Carneades .......................................................................................... 4 Pyrrhonian Skepticism ......................................................................... 4 4.1 Pyrrho and Timon.............................................................................. 5 4.2 Aenesidemus ..................................................................................... 5 Critical Evaluation of Ancient Skepticism.......................................... 6 List of references ...................................................................................ii Ancient Skepticism i  1 Introduction Ancient skepticism is a wide and important topic in the ancient Greek philosophical schools of thought and has been further developed in contemporary philosophy. It describes the attitude to be doubtful about any claim of knowledge and certainty. The term derives from the Greek skepsis meaning "enquiry", and hence already alludes to the situation in which individuals should question their own beliefs of knowledge claims. Even if knowledge and the level of certainty about it are essential features of the ancient skepticism theory, the element of belief is equally important. As the school...
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...Abstract People wonder how they, and others, know what they know. There is a skepticism about accepting that there are inherent pieces of knowledge that people simply possess, that there is no such thing as true knowledge because it is so personal, that there is no way to prove what is truly right or wrong. This paper considers the views of Chuang Tzu and Roderick Chisholm, how their ideas should be researched further in order for leaders to address sharing knowledge with their followers. Scholars, researchers, mangers, and leaders can benefit in many ways by further researching the philosophies and how these ideas apply to one’s attempts to share knowledge. Philosophers and Epistemological Skepticism All arguments about knowledge involve skepticism in its genuine form, a doubt or disbelief. This suspicion is present in many workplaces as decisions made by leaders often result in having followers who do not understand how the choices have been made and how they will benefit employees. By exploring the philosophies on epistemological skepticism, perhaps leaders can appreciate the foundation of uncertainty and better address concerns moving forward. Chuang Tzu Chuang Tzu was one of the earliest skeptics. He suggests that our knowledge is nothing more than that, our knowledge, and the judgments we make have no real basis in reality (Cooper, 1999). After all, who can define what is real when it all boils down to our personal judgments? The following...
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...Skepticism is generally any questioning attitude towards unempirical knowledge or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere. This video was so great and made me laugh because it so true, people will believe anything that they see on TV or the internet. When he posted the picture from his house of a “UFO” that was totally photo shopped and was a tire hubcap made me laugh out loud. We hear about this all the time on the news, I feel like people believe anything that they see on the TV, because it’s on the news. When you see things on the TV, you need to really look at the whole picture and being a skeptic is a great and healthy way to look at things. “A skeptic is one who is willing to...
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...Skepticism According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, skepticism can be defined, as the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain. While numerous philosophers have discussed skepticism in detail over the course of time, perhaps no argument is more popular than that of Rene Descartes. Descartes, a French Philosopher of the 16th and 17th centuries, revolutionized the idea in his 1641 doctrine Meditations on First Philosophy by forcing himself to believe that everything he knew to be true, such as his morals and beliefs. While an obscure thought, he attempted to create a unique set of beliefs that were entirely true, and explained such in Meditation 1 when he said, “Several years have now elapsed since I first became aware that I had accepted, even from my youth, many false opinions for true, and that consequently what I afterward based on such principles was highly doubtful; and from that time I was convinced of the necessity of undertaking once in my life to rid myself of all the opinions I had adopted, and of commencing anew the work of building from the foundation.” In this quote, Descartes explains how he was led to believe things are true, for example the popular moral that a child can be anything he or she wanted, and sought to fix his belief system to the core. By taking on such a task, he created numerous ideals for skepticism. One of the first ideals of Descartes writings is that we can question reality because one can no decipher...
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...Skepticism, originating from Greek verb “skeptomai” meaning to look carefully, to reflect, plays a huge part in our day to day lives. Many people assume that skepticism has to have to deal with doubt or disbelief but in philosophy it is described as the practice of using critical thinking and reasoning to find justification in a supported assumption. David Hume was a supporter of skepticism, and was said to make “skeptical attacks” and to “offer positive theories based on natural beliefs”. To me it seems that Hume uses abductive argumentation because of his use of incomplete observations, he questions statements and theories. An example of this would be Hume’s view change multiple times through the years. Hume acknowledges that he discards extreme skepticism (Pyrrhonian Skepticism) but agrees with the moderate form of skepticism (Academic Skepticism), declaring that “no durable good can ever result from it [extreme skepticism]. Nevertheless, Hume recommended Academic Skepticism which tones down Pyrrohonism by utilizing caution and modesty in our decisions along with limiting our assumptions to intellectual reasoning and matters of fact. With Hume’s thoughts of skepticism, he has inclined Immanuel Kant to give his opinions on the matter. Kant states “Hume awoke him from “dogmatic slumber”” and that he was “heavily influenced by the empiricist philosophy of Hume”. Dogmatism, a person who asserts his or her opinion in an overconfident manner, would associate with deductive argumentation...
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...general a form as possible, principles of association will apply alone or in some combination in all cases. For our purposes, cause and effect is the most relevant principle which may cast light on Hume’s statement that “Custom, then, is the great guide of human life. It is that principle alone, which renders our experience useful to us,” (p.29). Before entertaining the suggestion that customs are in fact an important guide to human life, it is important to explore the line of reasoning which Hume follows in order to reach this conclusion. Hume, before continuing, looks to consider some skeptical doubts which may bring into question some of the ways by which we believe to have an understanding of ideas. He argues for the usefulness of skepticism, which can excite curiosity though it destroys implicit faith...
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...René Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. He was arguably known as the "Father of Modern Philosophy." Descartes published many works of mathematics and philosophy throughout his life. In one of his most important works, Meditations on First Philosophy, he added a number of arguments for and against skepticism. Skepticism is the doubt about the truth of something and that absolute knowledge is not possible. Like past famous philosophers before him, Plato and Parmenides, Descartes believed that "evidence from the senses was inadequate to prove the kind of justification required for a claim of knowledge." In the first of Rene Descartes Meditations, he provided arguments for the skeptical position. He realized that, based off his senses, he had accepted many false opinions as true and that everything he afterwards built upon his opinions could only be doubtful and uncertain. In his project, a quest for knowledge, he decided to disregard and discard all beliefs that were based on any evidence which could be doubted and proven as less than certain. He wanted to create a new, firm foundation. He decided to go about this project because he, like other famous philosophers, believed that much of what is believed is based on ones senses. Descartes noticed that his senses had often deceived him and it was prudent to trust completely in what has deceived a person even once. Aside from deceiving senses, Descartes was also reminded that everyone has dreamed...
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...that avoids extremes of pleasure and pain, and they used philosophy to undermine sources of anxiety and motivation for seeking extremes--e.g., the fear of death and the desire to please the gods. Philosophical ‘Rationalizations’ Hume observes that most philosophy (and religion) are subject to a certain ‘inconvenience.’ This inconvenience is that while they promote the perfection of our manners and the cultivation of wisdom they really serve to foster certain ‘predominant inclinations.’ I think this is essentially making the point that philosophies are frequently used to ‘rationalize’ our preconceptions, biases, prejudices, etc. Academic Philosophy The one philosophy that is not subject to this inconvenience is that of academic skepticism, since it is explicitly opposed to the “supine indolence of the mind, its rash arrogance, its lofty pretensions, and its superstitious credulity.” This school also offers a kind of therapy that seeks to remove a source of intellectual anxiety (philosophical puzzlement) by showing the limits of human reason and recommending a suspension of judgment on speculative matters. Still this moderate...
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...sometimes you just gotta let your hair down you can't judge a book by its cover spare the rod, spoil the child you're driving me insane like a fish out of water if it ain't broke, don't fix it resting on one's laurels she's got eye's in the back of her head butterflies in his stomach a taste of his own medicine cry me a river love is blind there's something fishy about that time stands still thank God it's friday A Blessing In Disguise: Something good that isn't recognized at first. A Chip On Your Shoulder: Being upset for something that happened in the past. A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned: By not spending money, you are saving money (little by little). A Picture Paints a Thousand Words: A visual presentation is far more descriptive than words. An Arm And A Leg: Very expensive. A large amount of money. An Axe To Grind: To have a dispute with someone. Beat A Dead Horse: To force an issue that has already ended. Beating Around The Bush: Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue. Charley Horse: Stiffness in the leg / A leg cramp. Chew someone out: Verbally scold someone. Don't Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth: When someone gives you a gift, don't be ungrateful. Down To The Wire: Something that ends at the last minute or last few seconds. Ethnic Cleansing: Killing of a certain ethnic or religious group on a massive scale. Finger lickin' good: A very tasty food or meal. Green Room: ...
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...Reflections Introduction: In this paper I will discuss the ministry calling and doubt, more specifically self-doubt. These topics although they are common to those called to ministry are actually very conflicting. While the call to ministry is given by our Lord, doubt is given by our adversary. All Christians are called to ministry and we all at some point doubt our abilities. This will be discussed in more detail below. The great news is God is our provider and our ability is his ability. When we doubt our spiritual ability we doubt God’s ability. Part One – Ministry Calling: Definition: If we are all called to ministry then it is important for us to understand what a call to ministry means. It can often be difficult to define a call to ministry especially since there are so many different aspects of ministry. Thus, for the purpose of this paper I will define a call to ministry as a manifestation of the divine will that a one should preach the gospel. Biblical Foundation: First, I want to clarify what I meant in the introduction when I said all Christians are called to ministry. The Bible tells us we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). We are told to go into all the Earth and create disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), and to be great in the kingdom of God, we must serve all (Mark 9:35). However, not all Christians are called to be in a full time ministry, but we all should...
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...Critical Thinking Kelly Ratisher Springfield College, School of Professional and Continuing Studies HUSB 138 Critical Thinking Through Literature Dr. Tanya Sessoms January 23, 2016 I have heard people mention critical thinking over the years, but never knew the meaning. After reviewing the questions for this assignment, I obviously had to do a little research. I guess you could say I have always been a non-critical thinker. I had a difficult childhood with no structure and little education. My only role models were my dysfunctional parents. I thought that everything I heard and witnessed was right and factual. It was all I knew. I was very set in my ways, and always had to be right. Everything was black and white, either or. Those thinking patterns began to change when I decided to change about five years ago. I am more open minded, active, and skeptical. Before this assignment, I did not realize the extent of how much my thinking has changed. However, I know there is more to learn for me to be a critical thinker. I would like to say to say I read tons of books, and I prefer reading to anything else. Unfortunately, that is not the truth. Maybe that is because I had never been told to read outside of school, so it never became a routine. The majority of the books I have read are fictional thrillers, which I did enjoy. When I did have to read as a kid, I read all of the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine. When the Twilight series came out, I am embarrassed to say...
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