Skeptical Philosophy for Everyone

Skeptical Philosophy for Everyone is a deliberate recounting of skepticism's role in the development of philosophy. Richard H. Popkin and Avrum Stroll contend that the history of philosophy has been propelled largely by skepticism, or more precisely, responses to skepticism. They distinguish between everyday skepticism, defined as skepticism about facts, and philosophical skepticism, the sort of thoroughgoing skepticism that denies we know anything at all. It is the latter kind of skepticism that, in their view, has driven Western thought.

As the title implies, Popkin and Stroll's account of skepticism is indeed suited for lay readers or students, but the concepts are rendered so simply as to court reductionism. The book is readable but methodical and tends to omit detail. They sketch a modest historical account of skepticism's role in philosophy, hitting the high points in summary fashion before tackling skepticism topically, doing a chapter each on the philosophy of religion, ethics, and political philosophy. The final chapter is a debate between Popkin and Avrum about skepticism's defensibility, wrangling over whether "skepticism can raise probing criticisms without being correct in itself." --Eric de Place