The central problem in the epistemology of perception is that of explaining how perception could give us knowledge of an external world. Although this is a perfectly intelligible and pressing question in its own right, it is made especially salient by various forms of skepticism, which argue that the senses cannot give us knowledge or even justified belief. Such a conclusion would have far reac...

This study investigated the relationships among Hispanics’ self-esteem, acculturation, and skepticism of women’s employment. Using a sample of Hispanic students, mediated regression analysis was initiated to determine whether acculturation mediated a proposed negative relationship between self-esteem and traditional gender attitudes. The results indicated that self-esteem and acculturation were...

Data indicate that large percentages of the general public regard psychology's scientific status with considerable skepticism. I examine 6 criticisms commonly directed at the scientific basis of psychology (e.g., psychology is merely common sense, psychology does not use scientific methods, psychology is not useful to society) and offer 6 rebuttals. I then address 8 potential sources of public ...

I consider the problem of skepticism about the past within Richard Fumerton’s acquaintance theory of noninferential justification. Acts of acquaintance occur within the fleeting present. But if the data for noninferential justification is limited to the fleeting present then the options for avoiding a far-reaching skepticism are quite limited. I consider Fumerton’s responses to skepticism about...

Epistemic relativism rejects the idea that claims can be assessed from a universally applicable, objective standpoint. It is greatly disdained because it suggests that the real ‘basis’ for our views is something fleeting, such as ‘‘the techniques of mass persuasion’’ (Thomas Kuhn 1970) or the determination of intellectuals to achieve ‘‘solidarity’’ (Rorty 1984) or ‘‘keep the conversation going’...

This paper is part of an attempt to explain the distinctive status of modern science within human intellectual life, and in particular the way in which it seems to undermine the legitimacy of other, traditional modes of thought. I argue that the key feature of modern scientific methodology is its testing, not of our judgments, but of the concepts employed in them. Statistical techniques represe...

Comparing the responses of participants in reasoning experiments to the normative standard of Bayes’ Theorem has been a popular empirical approach for almost half a century. One longstanding finding is that people’s belief revision is conservative with respect to the normative prescriptions of Bayes’ Theorem, that is, beliefs are revised less than they should be. In this paper, we consider a no...

This paper applies speech-act theory to craft a new response to Pyrrhonian skepticism and diagnose its appeal. Carefully distinguishing between different levels of language-use and noting their interrelations can help us identify a subtle mistake in a key Pyrrhonian argument.

If a woman overestimates her romantic partner's commitment, the cost to her fitness-reproduction without an investing partner-can be considerable. Error Management Theory predicts that women have an evolved bias to be skeptical of men's commitment in a relationship, which reduces the likelihood of making a costly false positive error. However, because error probabilities are inversely related, ...

Professional skepticism is an attitude that consistently questions and critically evaluates audit evidence. A high of professional will produce a quality report in which the personality factor one factors. Personality indicators are declared valid big five personality. The aim this study to empirically prove effect traits on auditors Public Accounting Firm Province Bali. research was conducted ...