Description
Book SynopsisThis book, the first of its kind, puts forward a novel, unified cognitive account of skeptical doubt. Historically, most philosophers have tried to tackle this difficult topic by directly arguing that skeptical doubt is false. But N. Ángel Pinillos does something different. He begins by trying to uncover the hidden mental rule which, for better or worse, motivates our skeptical inclinations. He then gives an account of the broader cognitive purpose of having and applying this rule. Based on these ideas, he shows how we can give a new response to the traditional problem of global skepticism. He also argues that philosophical skepticism is not just something that comes up during philosophical reflection, as David Hume, Charles Sanders Peirce and other philosophers have urged. Instead, it is of great practical significance. The rule which produces skepticism may itself be operative in certain pathologies such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, in creative endeavors, and in conspiratorial t
Trade ReviewPinillos gets serious about skeptical doubt as a psychological phenomenon, offering us a cognitive-scientific account of where it comes from... The book is a major contribution to empirically informed epistemology and a model for how to bring cognitive science to bear on traditional philosophical issues. * Matthew McGrath, Washington University in St. Louis *
This [is a] really excellent monograph. I learned a ton from this book. It is remarkably deeply and broadly researched and meticulously argued. It covers so much ground-in both cognitive science and epistemology... * Branden Fitelson, Northeastern University *
Table of ContentsIntroduction and Book Summary Part I: Skeptical Tension 1: The Need for an Explanation Part II: The Positive Account 2: The Skeptical Rule 3: Broad Function (Part 1) 4: Broad Function (Part 2) 5: Narrow Function Part III: Applications 6: Solving the Skeptical Paradox 7: Skepticism in Society 8: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 9: Varieties of Doubt Part IB: Competing Views and Objections 10: Philosophically Accommodating Accounts 11: Psychological Accounts 12: Objections to Sensitivity Bibliography
