A Few Menexenus Notes

Lines 234a – 249e Bio info from The People of Plato A Prosopography of Plato and Other Socratics by Debra Nails (2002) Hackett Publishing. Antiphon of Rhamnous, son of Sophiluslived ±479–411; student of, or influenced by, Gorgias; teacher of Thucydides; oligarchic leader, sophist, and rhetorician. Archinus of Coeleactive ±405–399; rhetorician, politician, and general. Aspasia of

How Does Skepticism Work? A Very General Summary

• Pyrrhonism and its legacy – Those who hold no philosophical beliefs whatsoever. A brief rough summary: skeptical inquiry results in an intellectual standstill on philosophical matters to which the skeptic responds with a suspension of judgment which just so happens to lead to a desirable mental calm and clarity. • Academism and its legacy

Who is Skepticism For? A Very General Summary

• The skeptics – From the responses in the first section: there’s a very specific group of people whom skepticism is likely to be a benefit to. The skeptics are those who are said to acquire an improved mental balance through the application of skepticism. • The philosophically interested – Inasmuch as skepticism serves as

What is Skepticism? A Very General Summary

• A word – Skeptic (also sceptic) from French sceptique, directly from Latin scepticus, and from Greek skeptikos (PIE root *spek- ‘to observe’); a noun use of an adjective meaning doubting, questioning, or seeking. Also a title used to identify people associated with figures like Pyrrho and Sextus. Lastly, skepticism is sometimes used as a

Understanding Skepticism: A Very General Outline

What is skepticism? A word An attitude About doubt About disbelief Seeking mental calm and clarity The way of inquiry or investigation Dealing with puzzlement and uncertainty A way of engaging in philosophical thinking Who is skepticism for? The skeptics The philosophically interested People in general How does it work? Pyrrhonism and its legacy Academism

Preliminaries to Understanding Pyrrhonism & Ancient Skeptical Inquiry

I initiated my current study of skepticism in 2019 through reading Outlines of Scepticism by Sextus Empiricus translated by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes. Other reliable English language editions I’ve consulted include translations by R.G. Bury (Loeb), Benson Mates (Oxford), and Richard Bett (Princeton). As I write this it’s 2022 and over the past three

On Dates from Ancient Greek History

Many reliable scholarly resource offer a variety of conflicting date ranges. It’s important to note the variation and corresponding accounts for the given dates. However, it is not important for students to associate a fixed range with the Stone Age unless context makes it necessary. For example, it might be important if the reason for

From A Note on Metaphilosophy by Morris Lazerowitz, 1970

“The word has a brief history. It was coined by me in 1940 so as to enable me to refer unambiguously to a special kind of investigation which Wittgenstein had described as one of the “heirs” of philosophy. The term ‘metaphilosophical’ first appeared in print in July 1942 in a review of C.J. Ducasse’s book

Skepticism Journal: More Historical Background on Sextus and Hellenistic Skepticism

What was his background? It makes sense to think of a few perspectives: author, philosopher, and medical practitioner chief among them. The name Sextus Empiricus and a few comments from one of his texts suggests that he served a doctor within the empiric tradition. There’s evidence Sextus wrote medical works in addition to philosophy but

Skepticism Journal: On The Introduction to PO by Jonathan Barnes

A Summary Historical Background of Hellenistic Skepticism, Outlines, and Sextus — According to Barnes the Latin edition published in 1562 by Henri Estienne corresponds to a shift in western philosophy from grounding stances in metaphysical foundations towards the epistemological. Estienne, also known as Henricus Stephanus is also the source of so-called Stephanus pagination which is still