Greek Scepticism: Anti-Realist Trends in Ancient Thought

193 Pages·1990·10.12 MB·English

by  Leo Groarke

0 GREEK SCEPTICISM
Anti-Realist Trends in Ancient Thought
Virtually as old as philosophy itself, scepticism is the antithesis of
movements such as Platonism, Aristotelianism, and Cartesianism.
They celebrate rationality and our ability to discern the true nature of
the world. Scepticism emphasizes the limits of reason and doubts our
ability to establish objective truth. In Greek Scepticism, Leo Groarke
argues that the ancient sceptics pose the central problems of both
ancient and modern epistemology and that ancient scepticism provides
a plausible alternative to the views that characterize contemporary
epistemology. In the course of his argument he shows that scepticism
offers a positive philosophy that not only moderates the sceptical
critique of knowledge but is an ancient precursor to modern and con-
temporary anti-realism. Failure to appreciate the anti-realist nature of
sceptical philosophy has led to the modern misconception that it is
inconsistent or solely negative.
Groarke focuses on those aspects of scepticism and Greek epis-
temology that are most relevant to modern accounts of knowledge.
In addition to his account of scepticism, he proposes a new reading of
thinkers who influenced the sceptical tradition, among them Demo-
critus, Protagoras, and the Cyrenaics. His account of Greek epis-
temology finishes with a discussion of its relationship to the work of
contemporary philosophers. In the process he provides a sympathetic
and accurate account of the heart of the ancient sceptical tradition and
its relevance for modern thought.
Leo Groarke is a member of the Department of Philosophy, Wilfrid
Laurier University.
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MCGiLL-QUEEN'S STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS
1 Problems of Cartesianism
Edited by Thomas M. Lennon, John M. Nicholas, and
John W. Davis
2 The Development of the Idea of History in Antiquity
Gerald A. Press
3 Claude Buffier and Thomas Reid:
Two Common-Sense Philosophers
Louise Marcil-Lacoste
4 Schiller, Hegel, and Marx:
State, Society, and the Aesthetic Ideal of Ancient Greece
Philip J. Kain
5 John Case and Aristotelianism in Renaissance England
Charles B. Schmitt
6 Beyond Liberty and Property:
The Process of Self-Recognition in Eighteenth-Century
Political Thought
J. A. W. Gunn
7 John Toland: His Methods, Manners, and Mind
Stephen H. Daniel
8 Coleridge and the Inspired Word
Anthony John Harding
9 The Jena System, 1804-5: Logic and Metaphysics
G. W. F. Hegel
Translation edited by John W. Burbidge and George di Giovanni
Introduction and notes by H. S. Harris
10 Consent, Coercion, and Limit:
The Medieval Origins of Parliamentary Democracy
Arthur P. Monahan
11 Scottish Common Sense in Germany, 1768-1800:
A Contribution to the History of Critical Philosophy
Manfred Kuehn
12 Paine and Cobbett:
The Transatlantic Connection
David A. Wilson
13 Descartes and the Enlightenment
Peter A. Schouls
14 Greek Scepticism
Anti-Realist Trends in Ancient Thought
Leo Groarke
GREEK SCEPTICISM
Anti-Realist Trends in
Ancient Thought
Leo Groarke
McGill-Queen's University Press
Montreal & Kingston • London • Buffalo
To Tom Lennon
Whose sceptical but open-minded attitude played a
crucial role in the germination of my ideas and whose
continued support has made this work possible
c McGill-Queen's University Press 1990
ISBN 0-7735-0756-6
Legal deposit second quarter 1990
Bibliotheque nationale du Quebec
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the
Canadian Federation for the Humanities, using funds provided by the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Groarke, Leo
Greek scepticism
(McGill-Queen's studies in the history of ideas; 14)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7735-0756-6
1. Philosophy, Ancient. 2. Philosophy, Modern-
20th century. 3. Knowledge, Theory of
I. Title. II. Series.
5B25.G76 1990 180 C90-090004-0
Contents
Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
I Toward a New Interpretation of the Sceptics 3
The Negative Side of Scepticism / Standard Criticisms of the
Sceptics / The Positive Side of Scepticism: Mitigated Scepticism / Moral
and Religious Scepticism / Scepticism as Anti-Realism / Scepticism
and Idealism / Contemporary Anti-Realism / Historiography and
the Sceptics
II Greek Epistemology before the Rise of Scepticism 31
Xenophanes / Heracleitus / Epicharmus / Parmenides / Zeno /
Empedocles / Anaxagoras / Summary
III The Rise of Scepticism 49
The Sophists / Democritus: Atomism, Idealism, and Equanimity /
Protagoras: Utility and Anti-Realist Truth / Metrodorus and
Anaxarchus: Idealism and Equanimity / Socrates: Mitigated
Scepticism / The Megarians / Monimus and Cynic Indifference /
The Cyrenaics: External Objects and Other Minds / Plato / The
Rise of Scepticism
V11I CONTENTS
IV Early Pyrrhonism 81
The Arguments for Early Pyrrhonism / Pyrrhonism as a Practical
Philosophy / Equanimity and Indifference / Appearances / Pyrrhonism
and Idealism / The Consistency of Early Pyrrhonism / Toward
Later Pyrrhonism
V Scepticism in the Academy 98
The Arguments for Academic Scepticism / Academic Arguments,
Probability, and Equal Opposition / Academic Equanimity / Arcesilaus
and Natural Belief / The Consistency of Arcesilaus' Outlook /
Arcesilaus and Sextus / Carneades and Plausibility / Cicero on the
Plausible / The Consistency of Carneades' Scepticism / Carneades,
Arcesilaus, and Pyrrho / Philo, Metrodorus, and Cicero
VI Later Pyrrhonism 124
The Arguments for Later Pyrrhonism / The Problem of the Criterion /
Practical Affairs / The Consistency of Later Pyrrhonism / Pyrrhonean
Anti-Realism / The Standard Interpretations
VII Ancient Scepticism and Modern Epistemology 143
Mental States / Contemporary Anti-Realism / The Sceptical Perspective
Appendix: Flourishing Dates of Ancient Thinkers 155
Bibliography 157
Index Locorum 165
General Index 173
Abbreviations
Ac Cicero, Academica
Ad Col Plutarch, " Adversus Colotem," Moralia
AM Sextus Empiricus, Adversus mathematicos
Apol Plato, Apology
Aris. Aristocles
Bur Descartes, Conversations with Burnman
Bibl Photius, Bibliotheca
Con Ac Augustine, Against the Academicians
Cons ad Apoll Plutarch, "A Letter of Condolence to Appollonius,"
Moralia
Crat Plato, Cratylus
De A Aristotle, De anima
De An Tertullian, De anima
De Fin Cicero, Definibus
De Gen Aristotle, De generatione et corruptione
Deip Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists
De Rep Cicero, De republica
De Sens Theophrastus, De sensu
Dis Epictetus, Discourses
DK Diels and Kranz
D.L. Diogenes Laertius
DND Cicero, De natura deorum
Ench Epictetus, Enchiridion
Enq Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Eus. Eusebius, Preparatio evangelica
Gel. Gellius, Attic Nights
Haer Hippolytus, Refutatio omnium haeresium