Benedicto A. Pintor Jr.

History of Western Philosophy I

Skeptic Schools

Skeptic Schools
Around 266 BCE, whenArcesilaus founded the so-called second academy andbecame head of
the Platonic Academy which was called the middle academy, he adopted skepticism as a central
principleand gave more emphasis than to it thanPlatonism, and it remained the centre of
“Academic Skepticism” for the next two centuries, until the Roman occupation in 84 B.C.
Arcesilaus adopted skepticism, because he accepted the principle of finding a general unity in all
things, by the aid of which a principle of certainty might be found. Arcesilaus, however, broke
new ground by attacking the very possibility of certainty. Socrates had said, “This alone I know:
that I know nothing.” But Arcesilaus went farther and denied the possibility of even the Socratic
minimum of certainty: “I cannot know even whether I know or not.”

The doctrines of Arcesilaus:

His philosophical doctrines that were gathered from the writings of others, represent an attack on
the Stoic criterion and are based on the skepticism which was hidden in the later writings of
Plato. Arcesilaus held that strength of intellectual belief cannot be regarded as valid, inasmuch as
it is characteristic equally of contradictory convictions. The uncertainty of sense data applies
equally to the conclusions of reason, and therefore man must be content with probability which is
sufficient as a practical guide. “We know nothing, not even our ignorance”; therefore the wise
man will be content with a doubting attitude.

The fourth academic scholar in succession after Arcesilaus was Carneades (c. 214-129 B.C.),
was one of the best known of the academic skeptics, and he famously claimed that “Nothing can
be known, not even this.”
Today we refer to skeptics as those whose basic attitude is that of doubt. But the old Greek word,
skeptikoi, from skeptics is derived, meant something rather different, namely, “seekers” or
“inquirers.” The skeptics certainly were doubters too. They doubted that Plato and Aristotle had
succeeded in discovering the truth about the world, and they had the same doubts about the
Epicureans and Stoics. But for all their doubt, they were nevertheless seekers after the method
for achieving a tranquil life.

The founder of the specific school of scepticism that had an especially profound impact on
philosophy many centuries later was Pyrrho of Elis (361-270 B.C.) his particular approach is
known as Pyrrhonism, which taught that the knowledge of things were impossible and
maintained that our theories and our sense impressions were unable to accurately distinguish
truth from falsehood; therefore we must suspend judgment (epoche).They were consistent
enough to extend their doubt even to their own principle of doubt, making their skepticism
universal, thus escaping reproach for basing it upon a fresh dogmatism. Mental imperturbability
(ataraxia) was the result to be attained by cultivating such a frame of mind. At the same time
that Pyrrho was attracting followers, a rival school of skepticism emerged within Plato’s
academy, particularly through the leadership of Arcesilaus (316-241 B.C.), who was the head of
the academy a generation after Plato and the Academy was already called the Middle Academy
in which it was a period of time that skepticism had become the