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Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923) is a later work by Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana. He intended it to be "merely the introduction to a new system of philosophy," a work that would later be called The Realms of Being, which constitutes the bulk of his philosophy, along with The Life of Reason .
- George Santayana
- 1923
Feb 11, 2002 · Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923) introduces Santayana’s mature naturalism. In summary, he maintains that knowledge and belief are not the result of reasoning. They are inescapable beliefs essential for action. Epistemological foundationalism is a futile approach to knowledge.
Feb 13, 2024 · Scepticism, intuition, and animal faith work together to eliminate confusion, liberate spirit, and promote sane living. Scepticism, a special exercise not occurring naturally, is a way of avoiding error. Intuition is a natural function that, when refined or clarified through disciplined exercise, can liberate spirit.
- martcole@iupui.edu
Scepticism and Animal Faith: Introduction to a System of Philosophy. By George Santayana. Pp. xii + 314. (London, Bombay and Sydney: Constable and Co., Ltd., 1923.) 12s. net.
- H. Wildon Carr
- 1923
In Scepticism and Animal Faith Santayana makes clear that the imagination is necessary if knowledge is to be more than superficial. In Realms of Being he asserts that the humdrum (the “vulgar”) imagination is an offshoot of the poetic.
- rmrubin@georgesantayanasociety.org
Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923) presents his theory of knowledge and also serves as an introduction to his system of philosophy, Realms of Being (1927--40).
philosopher George Santayana, in Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923), presented a naturalistic skepticism. Any interpretation of immediate or intuited experience is open to question. To make life meaningful, however, people interpret their experiences on the basis of “animal faith,” according to biological and social factors.
