Concept
Academic skepticism
Overview
Academic skepticism was the philosophy of the skeptical period of the Academy dating from around 266 BCE, when Arcesilaus became scholarch, until around 90 BCE, when Antiochus of Ascalon rejected skepticism, although individual philosophers, such as Favorinus and his teacher Plutarch, continued to defend skepticism after this date. Unlike the existing school of skepticism, the Pyrrhonists, they maintained that knowledge of things is impossible. Ideas or notions are never true; nevertheless, there are degrees of plausibility, and hence degrees of belief, which allow one to act. The school was characterized by its attacks on the Stoics, particularly their dogma that convincing impressions led to true knowledge. The most important Academics were Arcesilaus, Carneades, and Philo of Larissa. The most extensive ancient source of information about Academic skepticism is Academica, written by the Academic skeptic philosopher Cicero.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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And since Aristotle began to reason while walking hither and thither, they were called, he, I say, and his companions, Peripatetics, which means the same as walkers about. And since the perfection of this Morality by Aristotle was attained, the name of Academician became extinct, and all those who attached themselves to this sect are called Peripatetics, and these people hold the doctrine of the government of the…
Dante Alighieri, The Banquet
States what Academic skepticism is.
Of all scientific truths the greatest and simplest is the uniformity of nature; this was expressed by the ancients in many ways, as fate, or necessity, or measure, or limit. Unexpected events, of which the cause was unknown to them, they attributed to chance (Thucyd.). But their conception of nature was never that of law interrupted by exceptions,—a somewhat unfortunate metaphysical invention of modern times, which…
Plato, Timaeus
The author is tied to Academic skepticism in the knowledge graph.
From the time of Descartes to Hume and Kant it has had little or nothing to do with facts of science. On the other hand, the ancient and mediaeval logic retained a continuous influence over it, and a form like that of mathematics was easily impressed upon it; the principle of ancient philosophy which is most apparent in it is scepticism; we must doubt nearly every traditional or received notion, that we may hold…
Plato, Meno
The author is tied to Academic skepticism in the knowledge graph.
Philosophers who discussed Academic skepticism
- Carneades
- Philo of Larissa
- Pyrrho
- Arcesilaus
- Aenesidemus
- Sextus Empiricus
- Clitomachus (philosopher)
- Antiochus of Ascalon
- Plutarch
- Socrates
- Cicero
- Lacydes of Cyrene
- Evander (philosopher)
- Hegesinus of Pergamon
- Telecles
- Charmadas
Related ideas
- Carneades
- Philo of Larissa
- Timon of Phlius
- Suspension of judgment
- Phaedo
- Pyrrhonism
- Katalepsis
- Pyrrho
- Arcesilaus
- Aenesidemus
- Sextus Empiricus
- Scholarch
- Middle Platonism
- Epoché
- Stoicism
- Clitomachus (philosopher)
- Philosophical skepticism
- Sage (philosophy)
- Platonism
- Xenophanes
- Plato
- Problem of the criterion
- Antiochus of Ascalon
- Platonic Academy
Opposing perspectives
Place in the tradition
Part of Outline of philosophy.
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