Final answer:
Particularists claim their advantage over methodism and skepticism lies in the practicality and context-sensitive nature of justification which doesn't necessitate ruling out all possible defeaters such as skeptical scenarios. They focus on enough justification to have knowledge in given contexts rather than following a strict method or dealing with the exhaustive skepticism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Particularism vs. Methodism and Skepticism
The particularist position claims an advantage over methodism and skepticism in that it accounts for the context-sensitive nature of justification in our daily lives and provides a practical approach to the acquisition of knowledge. Particularists argue that we rarely need to rule out all possible skeptical hypotheses to be justified in our beliefs. They emphasize that our context often dictates the level of justification needed, making the skeptical scenarios, such as the brain-in-a-vat hypothesis, irrelevant to most practical situations.
For instance, contextualism, a view related to particularism, holds that the amount of justification necessary for a belief to be knowledge is dependent on the context. This contrasts with the methodist approach, which suggests that we must follow a particular method to acquire knowledge and often involves ruling out every possible defeater, including skeptical scenarios. The particularist advantage lies in focusing on the practicality of everyday justifications without being burdened by the exhaustive and potentially impossible task of eliminating every doubt, as skepticism demands.
Furthermore, particularism can withstand challenges posed by local skepticism, which targets specific domains of knowledge, such as religious belief or moral knowledge. While local skeptics may doubt our ability to fully justify beliefs in these areas, particularists might suggest that contextually, in certain situations, we have enough justification to have knowledge, despite not having absolute certainties. The focus on practicality and context rather than methodological uniformity or the impossibility to totally rule out doubt is where particularists find their edge.