SkillCircles

Skepticism: The Power and Presence of Doubt

A course by Duncan Pritchard

Skepticism is about doubt, and doubt is everywhere in the world around us today. There are doubts about whether man-made climate change is real, whether vaccinations are harmful, whether we can trust our politicians or our media, and so on. When is such skepticism warranted, and when does it stray into unreasonable territory? How widespread can such skepticism get while still being coherent? How might a radical skepticism have pernicious social consequences, such as by leading to relativism (and just what is relativism, and what is problematic about it)?

These are all questions that we will be engaging with in this course Along the way we will consider some important philosophical issues, such as what the nature of knowledge is, whether there are any good arguments that show that knowledge is impossible, and how a moderate skepticism might accord with an ancient conception of the good life of human flourishing, one that essentially involves the intellectual virtues.

This course is aimed at anyone who is interested in learning more about philosophy, along with those who are looking for strategies to combat extremism in their communities. Using these approaches, no matter what your skill levels in topics you would like to master, you can change your thinking and change your life.

📌 Important information! This is a course by coursera. SkillCircles provides the platform for you to find your peers 🤝. You will enroll and access contents in coursera.

This Course

Starts on October 11

The SkillCircles Experience

Form Your Own Circle

Choose your peers to create your ideal learning group.

Dive Into Course Materials

Access video lessons and contents directly on coursera.

Weekly meeting with your peers

Meet up with your peers to unpack the week's contents together.

Course Contents

• Week 0: Welcome!

This first meeting is a chance to meet your peers and get to know each other. Spend some time with your Circle and familiarize yourself with the Circles app. Then, check out the course and plan your learning journey together!

• Week 1: What is Skepticism?

You will begin by exploring the nature of Skepticism through an investigation of foundational concepts of truth and knowledge. You'll also discuss how current issues in public debate (climate change denial, fake news etc) trade on Skepticism; but how a moderate skepticism can also be a force for good.

• Week 2: Is Knowledge Impossible?

How does one know that we are not a Brain-in-a-Vat? In this module, you will explore what kinds of things can, and cannot, motivate skeptical doubt. You will also review the radical skeptical hypotheses, and why you can’t rule it out. You'll conclude by discussing the radical skeptical paradox.