Skepticism

upstairs for coffee

Would anyone be able to recommend any introductory books on the philosophy of skepticism?

Thanks

Black Swan

Postmodern philosophy tends to be skeptical, especially works by deconstructionists like Jacques Derrida (He has written several books, including Margins of Philosophy, Points, Of Grammatology, etc.). Be warned that he is a difficult read, and does not have a formally constructed philosophy. I continue to struggle with his works, but I do appreciate his methodology, as well as his critiques of dichotomies that occur throughout philosophy.

In Of Grammatology Derrida deconstructs Claude Lévi-Strauss, the latter considered one of the founding fathers of structuralist thought; e.g., Derrida was very skeptical of the Lévi-Strauss "writing experiment," which was one foundation argument for his philosophy.

upstairs for coffee

Appreciated but if it's heavy going for someone experienced in the subject like yourself, then I won't have a chance!

Black Swan

upstairs for coffee wrote: »

Appreciated but if it's heavy going for someone experienced in the subject like yourself, then I won't have a chance!

I found a very short paperback book (59 pages) by Christopher Johnson titled Derrida that's an easy read, published in 1999 by Routledge, New York. Therein Johnson briefly explores Derrida's views of Ferdinand de Saussure and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and then focuses on deconstructing Claude Lévi-Strauss's structuralism, taking it apart piece by piece. Where Derrida is often a difficult read, Johnson's review of Derrida is smooth sailing and quite understandable. You may find it for checkout from a university library.

Mardy Bum

upstairs for coffee wrote: »

Appreciated but if it's heavy going for someone experienced in the subject like yourself, then I won't have a chance!

Derrida's writing purposefully draws attention to itself as he emphasises "differance". The easiest way to get a grip on him would be to read a critical exposition of his work rather than the work itself at first anyway.

Black Swan

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Derrida's writing purposefully draws attention to itself as he emphasises "differance". The easiest way to get a grip on him would be to read a critical exposition of his work rather than the work itself at first anyway.

If you read "critical exposition(s) of his work," please note that you may wish to read more than one, as when doing so you may discover that there are camps of pro-Derrida and anti-Derrida critics, many of whom are skewed to one side or the other.

Mardy Bum

Black Swan wrote: »

If you read "critical exposition(s) of his work," please note that you may wish to read more than one, as when doing so you may discover that there are camps of pro-Derrida and anti-Derrida critics, many of whom are skewed to one side or the other.

Yes that is very true. He has been a hugely divisive figure but reinvigorated the academic world with his works. Rivkin and Ryan (Literary Theory: An Anthology) give a very unbiased view of his work. It amounts to an easily explained summary. I would entirely disagree with his linguistic theories.

Black Swan

Another source...

Although not a skeptic per se, René Descartes in his Meditations On First Philosophy uses skepticism as a method to investigate philosophies.