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SCEPTICISM ABOUT PHILOSOPHY
Author(s) -
Brennan Jason
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
ratio
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1467-9329
pISSN - 0034-0006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9329.2009.00447.x
Subject(s) - skepticism , epistemology , argument (complex analysis) , philosophical methodology , philosophy , philosophy of medicine , philosophical theory , experimental philosophy , philosophy of mind , analytic philosophy , metaphilosophy , contemporary philosophy , psychology , western philosophy , metaphysics , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Suppose a person who is agnostic about most philosophical issues wishes to have true philosophical beliefs but equally wishes to avoid false philosophical beliefs. I argue that this truth‐seeking, error‐avoiding agnostic would not have good grounds for pursuing philosophy. Widespread disagreement shows that pursuing philosophy is not a reliable method of discovering true answers to philosophical questions. More likely than not, pursuing philosophy leads to false belief. Many attempts to rebut this sceptical argument fail.