Sustained scepticism is self-contradictory because participation in debate assumes conviction

Evidence

The common-sense objection that one can make against scepticism is this: that to be consistent with himself the sceptic should do nothing else but live like a vegetable, without involving himself in the business of ordinary life. If the sceptic takes part in the debate, it means that he thinks that he can convince people. That is, he is no longer a sceptic, but represents a specific positive opinion, which is usually bad and can triumph only by convincing the community that other opinions are even worse, because useless. Scepticism is connected with vulgar materialism and positivism. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1332

Categorization

• DEFINE: Gives a working sense of what Gramsci means by vulgar materialism and positivism by linking them to a self-undermining scepticism.