Tradition
Radical skepticism
Overview
Radical skepticism (or radical scepticism in British English) is the philosophical position that knowledge is most likely impossible. Radical skeptics hold that doubt exists as to the veracity of every belief and that certainty is therefore never justified. To determine the extent to which it is possible to respond to radical skeptical challenges is the task of epistemology or "the theory of knowledge".
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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Epistemology starts from the assumption that certain conditions lie back of knowledge. The mystery would be great enough if knowledge were constituted by non-natural conditions back of knowledge, but the mystery is increased by the fact that the conditions are defined so as to be incompatible with…
John Dewey, The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy, and other essays in contemporary thought
States what Radical skepticism is.
There is a species of scepticism, _antecedent_ to all study and philosophy, which is much inculcated by Des Cartes and others, as a sovereign preservative against error and precipitate judgement. It recommends an universal doubt, not only of all our former opinions and principles, but also of our very faculties; of whose veracity, say they, we must assure ourselves, by a chain of reasoning, deduced from some…
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Close in meaning to Radical skepticism; the term itself is not named.
When, however, we speak of philosophy as a _criticism_ of knowledge, it is necessary to impose a certain limitation. If we adopt the attitude of the complete sceptic, placing ourselves wholly outside all knowledge, and asking, from this outside position, to be compelled to return within the circle of knowledge, we are demanding what…
Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy
Close in meaning to Radical skepticism; the term itself is not named.
Philosophers who discussed Radical skepticism
Related ideas
Place in the tradition
Part of Knowledge.