Scepticism and Animal Faith

book by Santayana

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July 13, 2026

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In Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923), philosopher George Santayana presents a naturalistic view of skepticism. He posits that any interpretation of immediate experience is inherently questionable. To navigate life, humans rely on "animal faith"—instinctive beliefs without rational foundations, shaped by biological and social factors. These beliefs, though not logically justified, enable individuals to find meaning and persevere. Santayana's work explores the role of these fundamental, non-rational beliefs in shaping our understanding of the world.123

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George Santayana
Santayana’s system of philosophy
Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923) marks an important departure from his earlier philosophy and serves as “a critical introduction” to and résumé of his new system developed in the four-volume Realms of Being (1928, 1930, 1937, 1940), an ontological (nature of being) treatise of great…
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Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923) marks an important departure from his earlier philosophy and serves as “a critical introduction” to and résumé of his new system developed in the four-volume Realms of Being (1928, 1930, 1937, 1940), an ontological (nature of being) treatise of great…
Read More

skepticism
Idealism and naturalism
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. The resulting beliefs, though…
Read More
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. The resulting beliefs, though…
Read More