Abstract

Skepticism is a recurrent theme in the philosopher’s concern about knowledge, be it knowledge of the external world, other minds, the past, values, God and after life. It touches everything that one claims to know, but in different ways and with different effects. Within the broad scheme of skepticism I wish, in the first section of the paper, to distinguish between epistemological skepticism and moral skepticism. In the second part I proceed by sketching out moral skepticism. In the third part, I discuss the case of skepticism, with a special reference to J. L. Mackie. I close this discussion referring to the widespread suspicion that moral skepticism would have a pernicious influence on society. Paraphrasing Dostoyevsky, one might declare “If there is no moral truth, then everything is permitted”. There is the fear that moral skepticism will lead to moral anarchy.