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Skeptical appeal: the source-content bias.

John Turri1

  • 1Philosophy Department, University of Waterloo.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Radical skepticism, the idea that we know nothing, persists because people judge negative inferential beliefs more harshly than positive ones. This psychological bias makes skeptical arguments more convincing.

Keywords:
BiasesCognitive evaluationInferenceKnowledge attributionsPerceptionSkepticism

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Area of Science:

  • Epistemology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • Radical skepticism questions the possibility of knowledge, despite few adherents.
  • Skeptical arguments maintain a persistent appeal in philosophical discussion and popular culture.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the psychological factors contributing to the enduring appeal of skeptical arguments.
  • To identify cognitive biases that make individuals susceptible to skeptical claims.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that specific cognitive evaluations enhance skeptical arguments.
  • Participants' judgments of inferential and perceptual beliefs, considering both positive and negative content, were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • People evaluate inferential beliefs more critically than perceptual beliefs.
  • Negative inferential beliefs (e.g., 'X is not true') are judged more harshly than positive ones (e.g., 'X is true').
  • Skeptical arguments often leverage negative inferential beliefs, exploiting this cognitive bias.

Conclusions:

  • The potency of skeptical arguments stems from a psychological bias against negative inferential beliefs.
  • Skeptics exploit cognitive evaluations by focusing on specific types of beliefs that people are predisposed to doubt.
  • Understanding this bias offers insight into the psychology of belief and knowledge acquisition.