Sette brevi lezioni sullo scetticismo

The complexities and contradictions of the world generate anxiety. Frequently we are forced to take positions on issues that require understandings that we do not have; other times we find ourselves having to deal with diverseworld views, or religions and cultures whose values are far removed from our own. Sometimes we lack the tools necessary for orienting ourselves amidst all the available information and struggle to form an opinion. Other times,we may well have an opinion but we risk unconsciously adopting innate prejudices or stereotypes or letting ourselves be manipulated, which only lead us to yet other forms of anxiety: fear, mistrust, and even intolerance towardsthose we do not know. A handful of contemporary dilemmas trigger this kind of disorientation: are vaccines dangerous? If so, to what degree? Is a proportional system of voting better than a majority one? Is it right to ask teachers to get vaccinated against Covid-19, even if they have no medical conditions that might require them to do so? Should crucifixes be allowed in our classrooms?Should we let Muslim young women wear their veils to school if they want to? The era in which we live may actually prove to be the ideal time for learning how to use scepticism. Sextus Empiricus was the first person in Westernculture, back in 200 A.D., to call himself a sceptic. His suggestion was to apply skepsis – a Greek word that means search, investigation – to the things around us that present themselves as being unclear.