Ancient scepticism / Harald Thorsrud.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thorsrud, Harald, author.

Series:

Ancient philosophies.

Ancient philosophies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pyrrhon, of Elis.

Pyrrhon.

Skeptics (Greek philosophy).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 248 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Durham : Acumen Publishing, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Scepticism, a philosophical tradition that casts doubt on our ability to gain knowledge of the world and suggests suspending judgement in the face of uncertainty, has been influential since its beginnings in ancient Greece. Harald Thorsrud provides an engaging, rigorous introduction to the arguments, central themes and general concerns of ancient Scepticism, from its beginnings with Pyrrho of Elis (c.360–c.270 BCE) to the writings of Sextus Empiricus in the second century CE. Thorsrud explores the differences among Sceptics and examines in particular the separation of the Scepticism of Pyrrho from its later form – Academic Scepticism – which arose when its ideas were introduced into Plato's Academy in the third century BCE. He also unravels the prolonged controversy that developed between Academic Scepticism and Stoicism, the prevailing dogmatism of the day. Steering an even course through the many differences of scholarly opinion surrounding Scepticism, Thorsrud provides a balanced appraisal of its enduring significance by showing why it remains so philosophically interesting and how ancient interpretations differ from modern ones.

Contents:

Introduction

Pyrrho and Timon: the origin of Pyrrhonian scepticism

Arcesilaus: the origin of academic scepticism

Carneades

Cicero: the end of the sceptical academy

Aenesidemus: the Pyrrhonian revival

Sextus empiricus: the consistency of Pyrrhonian

Scepticism

Pyrrhonian arguments

The (ordinary) life of a Pyrrhonist.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

1-317-49282-X

1-317-49283-8

1-315-71173-7

1-282-94730-3

9786612947308

1-84465-409-5

9781315711737

OCLC:

898103177