Philosophical Skepticism in the Real World

“Philosophical Skepticism in the Real World.” Philosophical skepticism is one of the most significant and enduring ideas in the history of Western philosophy. A common view about skepticism espoused by David Hume, C.S. Peirce, Ludwig Wittgenstein and many other philosophers is that it is an esoteric theoretical invention with little relevance to practical matters. Recent work reveals that this idea may be mistaken. Through survey experiments, corpus research and the study of conspiracy theories, this project investigates the real-world impact of philosophical skepticism as it spontaneously arises in society at large.