Philosophy and Disagreement

Crítica, Vol. 43, pp. 3-25, 2011

23 Pages Posted: 11 Dec 2011

See all articles by Brian Ribeiro

Brian Ribeiro

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Department of Philosophy & Religion

Date Written: April 1, 2011

Abstract

Disagreement as we find it in both the history and the contemporary practice of philosophy is an inadequately understood phenomenon. In this paper I outline and motivate the problem of disagreement, arguing that "hard cases" of disagreement confront us with an unresolved, and seemingly unresolvable, challenge to the rationality of philosophical discourse, thereby raising the specter of a worrisome form of metaphilosophical skepticism. A variety of responses and attempted evasions are considered, though none are found to be particularly satisfying: Thus, the specter remains unexorcised.

Keywords: disagreement, consensus, skepticism, relativism, metaphilosophy

Suggested Citation

Ribeiro, Brian, Philosophy and Disagreement (April 1, 2011). Crítica, Vol. 43, pp. 3-25, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1970712

Brian Ribeiro (Contact Author)

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Department of Philosophy & Religion ( email )

Department of Philosophy & Religion (#2753)
615 McCallie Ave.
Chattanooga, TN 37403
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.brian-ribeiro.com

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