Skepticism Ridiculous, Michael Philips Attempts to Understand

¶ … Skepticism Ridiculous," Michael Philips attempts to understand the disparity between the philosophical skepticism of many philosophers and the failure to fully engage this idea in their private or personal lives. For instance, while many modern sociologists may believe that "free choice" is inherently an illusion, Philips contends that "not many of them adopted this attitude in relation to their children." (Philips, 2005) His point being that there is a clear inconsistency between what many philosophers come to believe in their professional opinions and whether or not they fully incorporate these beliefs into their personal lives. Philips eventually comes to the conclusion that the skeptical arguments have a place in understanding the world but if the conclusions of skeptical arguments challenge what he refers to as a set "core beliefs," these conclusions do not have to be believed, or acted out in anyone's personal life because the fundamental premises on which these conclusions may themselves be faulty.

While some may say that Philips is attempting to have it both ways by accepting skeptical arguments while also rejecting their conclusions if they happen to be inconvenient, that would not be a clear understanding of Philips' conclusions. His main point is that while skeptical arguments are perfectly good for understanding the world around, modern philosophers are not the summit of philosophy, and that future philosopher may reject the basic premises on which modern philosophy is based; mainly the acceptance of skeptical arguments. In the past, for example, the ancient philosopher Zeno fully believed that existence was divided into "instantaneous moments (that is, moments having no duration)" while modern philosophers reject the idea that there is a "period of time in which there is no motion at all." (Philips, 2005) Zeno may have fully believed that his basic assumptions were correct, but modern philosophers reject them; at the same time, modern philosophers fully believe in the correctness of skeptical arguments, while future philosopher may not. Understanding of the world must reflect a society's beliefs so that it can be understood by those within that society. Zeno's understanding of his existence, made possible by the idea of "instantaneous moments," could then be used to further understand physical phenomena. Modern philosophy's belief in skeptical arguments is a reflection of a society in which they are being used and therefore useful for modern society in understanding a skeptical world. Likewise, future philosophers must also create their basic assumptions based on the future society's values, which may be very different from today.