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Philosophy vocabulary · Epistemology

Skepticism

Meaning in philosophy, with examples

/ˈskeptɪsɪzəm/nounCore term

In philosophy, skepticism means: The view that we do not or cannot have knowledge in some area, or the method of doubting claims until they are properly justified.

In Turkish: kuşkuculuk, şüphecilik, septisizm

How it is used

Philosophers speak of skepticism about the external world, about other minds or about morality. Ancient skeptics such as Pyrrho and Sextus Empiricus recommended suspending judgment; Descartes used doubt as a method for finding certain foundations.

Example sentences

  1. Radical skepticism says we can't know anything at all about the external world.

  2. Descartes' dream argument is a classic route to skepticism about the senses.

Common collocations

  • radical skepticism
  • external world skepticism
  • moral skepticism
  • reply to skepticism
  • knowledgeKnowing that something is the case; traditionally defined as a belief that is true and properly justified, although this definition is disputed.
  • epistemologyThe branch of philosophy that studies knowledge: what it is, how we get it, how beliefs are justified and how far our knowledge can reach.
  • cogitoDescartes' argument 'I think, therefore I am', meant to show that you cannot doubt your own existence while you are thinking.
  • justificationThe reasons or evidence that make it rational to hold a belief, or the property a belief has when it is properly supported.

More terms: Epistemology

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