Academics versus Pyrrhonists, reconsidered

Striker, Gisela; Bett, Richard

doi:10.1017/ccol9780521874762.011

Cited by 51 publications

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“…Suspending belief is a common sceptical trope, so what truly makes Pyrrhonism stand out amongst the different varieties of scepticism in the history of philosophy are equipollence and the connection between epochê and ataraxia . The scholarship on ancient philosophy confirms this, as Gisela Striker (2010) has shown that the commitment to epochê resulting in ataraxia is precisely what distinguishes Pyrrhonism from ancient Academic scepticism (the scepticism of members of Plato's Academy), since the Academics were as equally radical as the later Pyrrhonists 14…”

Section: Pyrrhonism and Humeanismmentioning

confidence: 84%

Hume is the Enemy of Pyrrho

Dimech¹

2021

Philosophy

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I offer reasons against reading Hume as a Pyrrhonian sceptic. I argue that Hume's scepticism is motivated differently, that his sceptical strategies are not analogous to Pyrrhonism's, and that it is profitable to read Hume as a critic of Pyrrhonism. I hold that the most informative point of comparison between Hume and Sextus Empiricus is a point of difference, namely, their stands on the connection between suspension of judgement (epochê) and tranquillity (ataraxia). For Sextus, tranquillity flows naturally from suspending judgement on all opinions. Hume, by contrast, consistently treats radical suspension of judgement as resulting in despair and social detachment. I take a firmer stance than past commentators on this issue by affirming that Hume and Sextus do not merely disagree on this issue, but that Hume's view is more plausible. Reading Hume's sceptical crisis, I propose, reveals an insightful criticism of Pyrrhonism, one that sheds light on human nature's response to radical doubt.

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Section: Pyrrhonism and Humeanismmentioning

confidence: 84%

Hume is the Enemy of Pyrrho

Dimech¹

2021

Philosophy

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“…63, 76–77); that belief in objective values produces a sense of security, not anxiety (Annas, 1998, pp. 208, 213); that belief about what is good or bad, or what is true or false, is what gives meaning and sense to one's life (Burnyeat, 1997, p. 46); and that it is highly doubtful that the attainment of undisturbedness is either desirable or psychologically possible (Striker, 2004, p. 22, 2010, p. 196). If any of this were true, then the practical value of suspension and undisturbedness would be undermined.…”

Section: Sextus's Actual Stancementioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Evidence Against Pyrrhonism: Attacking a Straw Man

Machuca

2021

Dialogue

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In a recent article, Mario Attie-Picker maintains that a number of experimental studies provide evidence against Sextus Empiricus's empirical claims about both the connection between belief and anxiety and the connection between suspension of judgement and undisturbedness. In this article, I argue that Sextus escapes unharmed from the challenge raised by the studies in question for the simple reason that he does not make the claims ascribed to him. In other words, I argue that Attie-Picker is attacking a straw man.

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“…The broad quietist telos of attaining intellectual peace is made even more explicit in Pyrrhonian scepticism, which stresses the ideal of ataraxia – a tranquil state of mind and complete freedom from disturbance. See Nussbaum 1994, Machuca 2006, and Striker 2010 for useful discussions of the Pyrrhonist concept of ataraxia .…”

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confidence: 99%

Hegel's Therapeutic Conception of Philosophy

Giladi¹

2015

Hegel Bulletin

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Academics versus Pyrrhonists, reconsidered

Cited by 51 publications

References 0 publications

Hume is the Enemy of Pyrrho

Hume is the Enemy of Pyrrho

Experimental Evidence Against Pyrrhonism: Attacking a Straw Man

Hegel's Therapeutic Conception of Philosophy

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