Common Sense, Science and Scepticism
A Historical Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge

An introductory survey of the epistemological debate between scepticism and dogmatism, defending the fallibilist position.

Alan Musgrave (Author)

9780521436250, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 February 1993

328 pages, 14 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.9 cm, 0.42 kg

"The treatment of basic issues in epistemology is quite nicely done, and although the book is intended as an introduction, it is not confined to the coverage of elementary topics. Musgrave does devote a good deal of space to the discussion of such standard epistemological material as skepticism, but he also includes interesting, elegant, and informative summaries of problems and theories in logic, semantics, and the philosophy of mathematics. The book can be read profitably by anyone with an interest in epistemology and its history." Douglas M. Jesseph, Isis

Can we know anything for certain? Dogmatists think we can, sceptics think we cannot, and epistemology is the great debate between them. Some dogmatists seek certainty in the deliverances of the senses. Sceptics object that the senses are not an adequate basis for certain knowledge. Other dogmatists seek certainty in the deliverances of pure reason. Sceptics object that rational self-evidence is no guarantee of truth. This book is an introductory and historically-based survey of the debate, siding for the most part with scepticism to show that the desire to vanquish it has often led to doctrines of idealism or anti-realism. Scepticism, science and common sense produce another view, fallibilism or critical rationalism: although we can have little or no certain knowledge, as the sceptics maintain, we can and do have plenty of conjectural knowledge. Fallibilism incorporates an uncompromising realism about perception, science, and the nature of truth.

1. The problem of knowledge
2. Scepticism under attack
3. Scepticism regarding the senses
4. Empiricist psychology
5. Idea-ism, appearance and reality
6. Primary and secondary qualities
7. Berkeley: idea-ism becomes idealism
8. Hume: idea-ism becomes irrationalism
9. Countering Hume on induction
10. The Rationalist alternative
11. Rationalism defended: Descartes
12. Kant and the synthetic a priori
13. Alternative geometries
14. Truth and truth-theories
15. Fallibilist realism.

Subject Areas: Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge [HPK]