Empires of Belief: Why We Need More Skepticism and Doubt in the Twenty-First Century

Stuart Sim

Share |

January, 2007
Cloth, 176 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-7486-2326-6
Edinburgh University Press
$29.00

Is absolute belief making a comeback? Recently the public has accepted unquestioningly certain political, economic, and scientific theories, and for sceptical people, this is a deeply worrying trend. Stuart Sim outlines the history of scepticism in both Western and Islamic traditions from the Enlightenment to today. He argues that we need less belief and more doubt-an engaged scepticism that replaces dogmatism. Addressing contemporary debates surrounding terrorism and fundamentalism, Sims suggests that scepticism can play a greater role in public and political life.

Related Subjects

• Philosophy

About the Author

Stuart Sim is professor of critical theory in the English department, University of Sunderland.

top of page