Scepticism and Animal Faith

Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923)
by George Santayana
4456133Scepticism and Animal Faith1923George Santayana

SCEPTICISM
AND ANIMAL FAITH

INTRODUCTION TO
A SYSTEM OF PHILOSOPHY

BY

GEORGE SANTAYANA


NEW YORK

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

1923



CONTENTS

    PAGE
Preface   v
CHAP.    
I. There is no First Principle of Criticism 1
II. Dogma and Doubt 6
III. Wayward Scepticism 11
IV. Doubts about Self-Consciousness 21
V. Doubt about Change 27
VI. Ultimate Scepticism 33
VII. Nothing Given exists 42
VIII. Some Authorities for this Conclusion 49
IX. The Discovery of Essence 67
X. Some Uses of this Discovery 77
XI. The Watershed of Criticism 99
XII. Identity and Duration attributed to Essences 109
XIII. Belief in Demonstration 116
XIV. Essence and Intuition 125
XV. Belief in Experience 134
XVI. Belief in the Self 145
XVII. The Cognitive Claims of Memory 150
XVIII. Knowledge is Faith mediated by Symbols 164
XIX. Belief in Substance 182
XX. On some Objections to Belief in Substance 192



CHAP.   PAGE
XXI. Sublimations of Animal Faith 214
XXII. Belief in Nature 237
XXIII. Evidences of Animation in Nature 249
XXIV. Literary Psychology 252
XXV. The Implied Being of Truth 262
XXVI. Discernment of Spirit 272
XXVII. Comparison with other Criticisms of Knowledge 289
  Index 311