Scepticism and the Possibility of Knowledge [Paperback]

A. C. Grayling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2010

Scepticism as a philosophical term is as old as the Greeks but has more recently been advanced by Montaigne, Descartes and Hume. To these, what little we know that seems certain is based on observation and habit as opposed to any logical or scientific necessity. Thus, sceptical views relate directly to epistemology—the theory of knowledge and what we can know—and, in the modern turbulent world, it is grayling's contention that these are issues that all contemporary people need to focus on. In seeking understanding of the human condition we need more than just a set of beliefs about it: all belief is irrational. We want to know or garner some kind of proof about the fundamental truths of human existence. This is the crux of the dilemma facing intelligent people today and is illuminated by this book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Grayling (philosophy, Birkbeck Coll., Univ. of London) sets himself the goal of refuting—or at least of attempting to refute—the philosophical doctrine that absolute knowledge is impossible. To do so, he considers two sets of arguments from major antiskeptical philosophers—Berkeley and Russell in one tradition and Quine and Wittgenstein in another—and argues that the strategies the aforementioned philosophers used to accomplish their goals are "not so much incorrect as incomplete." He thereupon argues in extensive, closely reasoned, if often turgid detail, his own stratagem—which, he believes, "is the right one overall." Because of the fecundity of the argument, readers will have a difficult time deciding if he has succeeded. This is not a book for beginners in philosophy: it deals with an issue most philosophers consider the central one in philosophy and requires extensive familiarity with the discipline, both current and historical. Recommended for academic collections."—Leon H. Brody, Falls Church, VA Library Journal

(Leon H. Brody )

'Grayling's talents as a writer and a philosopher are immense.' Financial Times, May 2008

"Grayling (philosophy, Birkbeck Coll., Univ. of London) sets himself the goal of refuting—or at least of attempting to refute—the philosophical doctrine that absolute knowledge is impossible. To do so, he considers two sets of arguments from major antiskeptical philosophers—Berkeley and Russell in one tradition and Quine and Wittgenstein in another—and argues that the strategies the aforementioned philosophers used to accomplish their goals are "not so much incorrect as incomplete." He thereupon argues in extensive, closely reasoned, if often turgid detail, his own stratagem—which, he believes, "is the right one overall." Because of the fecundity of the argument, readers will have a difficult time deciding if he has succeeded. This is not a book for beginners in philosophy: it deals with an issue most philosophers consider the central one in philosophy and requires extensive familiarity with the discipline, both current and historical. Recommended for academic collections."—Leon H. Brody, Falls Church, VA Library Journal

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About the Author

A.C. Grayling is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. He has written and edited numerous works of philosophy and is the author of biographies of Descartes and William Hazlitt.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Continuum; Reprint edition (January 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441154361
• ISBN-13: 978-1441154361
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extreme Skepticism, June 21, 2009

By 

D. S. Heersink "D. Stephen Heersink" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Scepticism and the Possibility of Knowledge (Hardcover)

No question about it, the philosophical method of positing extreme skepticism is often difficult for a credible social network. IF you can think outside the box you've been cornered into, Grayling should work to open new vistas.

A. C. Grayling is a "professional philosopher," and those of us that enjoy all that professional philosophy bring us are easily happy with this and his other books.

BUT, this book, like a series of publications storming the citadel, are not of the "professional" arcane nuanced kind. These short essays go directly to most of our practical concerns, without the arcane language of epistemology, axiology, praexeology, ontology, and more sophisticated subjects.

BUT don't think this material "light weight." It's merely accessible, in ways that professionals get tongue-tied using the Greek fundamentals. Following the success of Robert Solomon's corpus, Grayling is more succinct, just as valuable, and even more accessible.

Maybe, now, we can engage metaphysics of psychology, religion, superstition, voodoo, and chiropractic -- with the hard facts, the known classical values, and even upend the "traditional biblical moral values" and all the hypocrisy with humanistic values. If any two philosophers can, Solomon and Grayling are it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit more academic than some of his other recent works..., March 3, 2010

By 

Greg "Saganite" (Brooklyn Park, Mongolia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Scepticism and the Possibility of Knowledge (Paperback)

...but still accessible enough for a non-academic.

Grayling is to philosophy popularizing what Richard Dawkins is to science popularizing, and his works--Scepticism included--have a breezy, conversational feel, even when addressing the most esoteric and sophisticated of topics. "Scepticism" takes on epistemology, the branch of philosophy concerned with the truth and how we identify it. With reviews of Wittgenstein, Russell, Quine, and Descartes (with forays into the ideas of supporters and detracters), Grayling presents a well-thought-out, balanced, and ultimately convincing case about what can be known and how.

If you are mainly interested in reading Grayling and are not especially drawn to epistemology, I recommend his excellent and thoroughly popular book, The Choice of Hercules: Pleasure, Duty and the Good Life in the 21st Century. It is a more practical and entertaining book that draws from philosophy to make points about the well-lived life. "Scepticism," while an exemplar of its type, is a much more academic and theoretical work.