Pyrrhonism in Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary Philosophy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Ancient Pyrrhonism

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. How Ethical Can an Ancient Skeptic Be?

      • Richard Bett

      Pages 3-17

   3. Two Kinds of Tranquility: Sextus Empiricus on Ataraxia

      • Svavar Hrafn Svavarsson

      Pages 19-31

   4. The Aims of Skeptical Investigation

      • Katja Maria Vogt

      Pages 33-49

   5. Pyrrhonism and the Law of Non-Contradiction

      • Diego E. Machuca

      Pages 51-77

   6. Epistemic Justification and the Limits of Pyrrhonism

      • Peter D. Klein

      Pages 79-96

3. Pyrrhonism in Modern Philosophy

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 97-97

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   2. Bacon’s Doctrine of the Idols and Skepticism

      • Luiz Eva

      Pages 99-129

   3. Skepticism against Reason in Pierre Bayle’s Theory of Toleration

      • John Christian Laursen

      Pages 131-144

   4. Skepticism and the Possibility of Nature

      • Peter S. Fosl

      Pages 145-169

   5. Hume on Skeptical Arguments

      • Plínio Junqueira Smith

      Pages 171-189

4. Pyrrhonism in Contemporary Philosophy

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 191-191

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   2. Wittgensteinian Pyrrhonism

      • Duncan Pritchard

      Pages 193-202

   3. Skepticism and Disagreement

      • Markus Lammenranta

      Pages 203-215

   4. Can Contemporary Semantics Help the Pyrrhonian Get a Life?

      • Juan Comesaña

      Pages 217-240

5. Back Matter

   Pages 241-246

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In recent years, there has been renewed interest in Pyrrhonism among both philosophers and historians of philosophy. This skeptical tradition is complex and multifaceted, since the Pyrrhonian arguments have been put into the service of different enterprises or been approached in relation to interests which are quite distinct. The diversity of conceptions and uses of Pyrrhonism accounts for the diversity of the challenges it is deemed to pose and of the attempts to meet them. The present volume brings together twelve essays by leading specialists which explore the history and philosophical significance of this form of skepticism: they discuss some thorny questions concerning ancient Pyrrhonism, explore its influence on certain modern thinkers, and examine it in relation to contemporary analytic philosophy. The essays combine historical and exegetical analysis with an assessment of the philosophical merits of the Pyrrhonian outlook, with the aim of understanding it both in its historical context and in connection with contemporary concerns. This volume, the first entirely devoted to a detailed study of the Pyrrhonian tradition, is intended to open up new exegetical and philosophical perspectives on Pyrrhonism and to motivate further examination of certain difficult issues. It will be a valuable resource for scholars of ancient philosophy, historians of modern philosophy, and epistemologists, as well as for graduate students interested in skepticism.

• Contemporary Epistemology
• History of Philosophy
• Modern Philosophy
• Pyrrhonism
• Sextus Empiricus
• Skepticism

• Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Buenos, Buenos Aires, Argentina

  Diego E. Machuca

Diego E. Machuca (PhD, UBA) is Assistant Researcher in Philosophy at the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Argentina), and co-editor of the International Journal for the Study of Skepticism. He has published articles on ancient skepticism, ethical skepticism, and Descartes in Pacific Philosophy Quarterly, Ancient Philosophy, Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie, Philosophy Compass, and elsewhere. He has also edited the volume, New Essays on Ancient Pyrrhonism (Brill, 2011).

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