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Skepticism (n.) cancels ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the one-sidedness of rival principles, but errs in thinking it has destroyed them, since both are necessary.

Skepticism (n.) would ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not let itself say 'It is' — yet its mere seeming contained the entire manifold wealth of the world.

Skepticism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a doctrine of doubt — it is completely certain about its central point, the nullity of everything finite.

Skepticism (n.) declares ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the world unreal, but the world keeps coming back, leaving the skeptic oscillating between serene self-identity and dependence.

Skepticism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠often just the stamp shallow minds put on their lack of thoughts — vanity and conceit advancing in step as the ideas grow ever emptier.

Skepticism (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the ancients attacked the senses first; Hume's scepticism takes the truth of the senses as basic and attacks everything universal for lacking sensory warrant.

Skepticism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to be feared only by the finite thinking of the understanding; philosophy contains it as a moment of itself.

Skepticism (n.) pronounces ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the nullity of seeing and hearing while seeing and hearing, and denies ethical principles while letting them govern its conduct — its deeds and words always belie one another.

Skepticism (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is thoroughgoing is despair about all one's ideas — one's own or anyone else's — and only it makes Spirit competent to examine what truth is.

Skepticism (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the bad kind sees only pure nothingness in its result and must wait for something new to come along to throw it too into the same empty abyss.

Skepticism (n.) talks ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠like squabbling children: say A and it says B, say B and it says A — buying, by contradicting itself, the pleasure of contradicting you.

Skepticism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the realization of what Stoicism was only the notion — freedom of thought actually experienced as the annihilation of the world's determinate being.

Skepticism (n.) offered ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as an introduction to philosophy would be not only a sad way but a redundant one — since the dialectical moment is already essential to the affirmative Science.