Skepticism in the Real World

Workshop January 13 and 14, 2024

Tempe, ARIZONA

Keynote: Jennifer Nagel (University of Toronto)

A common view about philosophical skepticism espoused by David Hume, Charles Sanders Peirce, Ludwig Wittgenstein and many other philosophers is that it is an esoteric theoretical invention with little practical relevance outside academic settings. This workshop aims to investigate the extent to which skepticism lives in the "real" world. Skepticism is understood broadly to include not only global or Cartesian skepticism but also more local versions such as skepticism concerning the future, statistical evidence, morality and so on. By the "real" world we mean to include a variety of topics related to practical rationality, psychology, politics, science and society at large. 

Organizer: Ángel Pinillos. Funding: Institute for Humanities Research (Arizona State University)

Abstracts (1000 words) are due September 15, 2023. Email submissions to napinillos@gmail.com (be sure to write “SRW24” on the subject line). Talks will be 45 minutes long. Graduate students who present will be eligible to receive a $200 stipend to help offset travel costs.