Skepticism in Theory and Practice

Abstract

Abstract Skepticism is possible for any normative domain. Wherever there are purported reasons, there can be skepticism about whether they justify, render rational, conduce to knowledge, establish—in short, whether they do what they are supposed to do. Skepticism about theoretical reason is well-known. There is, for instance, the skepticism of the Pyrrhonians, there is Cartesian skepticism, and there is Humean skepticism. In the practical sphere, however — that (roughly) of reasons for action as opposed to reasons for belief — it is much less clear what constitutes skepticism and how one might reply to it. The most widely discussed kind of skepticism about practical reason is ethical skepticism.