Darty Emmanuel Darty
Abstract
We can trace the roots of ancient skeptical reasoning to the fifth-century
sophists who could argue persuasively for both sides of any issue. Since
scepticism is the denial of the possibility of knowledge and knowledge implies
certainty, by arguing convincingly for both sides of any issue, the sophists
were simply demonstrating to their followers that there is no such thing as “the
truth” on any matter, but many truths, each depending on persuasive
argumentations and social conventions. Hence, the seeds of ancient scepticism
were sown when Gorgias of Leontini taught his followers that nothing exists;
even if anything were to exist, it would be impossible to know it and that even
if it were possible to have such knowledge, communicating it to others would
be an absolute impossibility. The seeds of skepticism were also sown when
Protagoras of Abdera taught his students that man is the measure of all things.
even in matters of truth and knowledge. This implies that for Protagoras and
his followers, if a person holds on to the skeptical creed that no knowledge is
possible, it is pointless attempting to refute such a person since that is the truth
for him. The sophists took pride in arguing persuasively for both sides of any
issue. They strove to teach not the truth, but whatever was pleasing to the ears
of those that hired them. This is the reason why they are sometimes not taken
seriously since it is possible for them to turn around and denounce all they
claim to teach in so far as this would be to the listening pleasure of their
followers and their pockets are not empty. For not being consistent in their
ideas, we can side-step the sophists and the early sceptical seeds thy sowed,
and look at ancient scepticism as a well-established epistemological outlook as
represented in academic and pythagorian schools of scepticism in ancient
philosophy. Before we have a critical assessment of ancient scepticism, it is necessary.
for us to look at some of its peculiar traits. Are there any peculiar traits that run
through ancient skepticism that cannot be found in its modern variants, such as
Humean, Cartesian or Kantian skepticism? Let us briefly attempt this question
and also show the difference between academic scepticism, which flourished in
the different eras of Plato’s academy and Pyrrhonian skepticism.
