Sextus Empiricus and Greek Scepticism. Mary Mills Patrick

Greek text of Immanuel Bekker, Berlin, 1842, has been used, with frequent consultation of the text of J.A. Fabricius, 1718, which was taken directly from the existing manuscripts of the works of Sextus. The divisions into chapters, with the headings of the chapters in the translation, is the same as Fabricius gives from the manuscripts, although not used by Bekker, and the numbers of the paragraphs are the same as those given by both Fabricius and Bekker. References to Diogenes Laertius and other ancient works have been carefully verified.

      The principal modern authors consulted are the following:

      Ritter, Geschichte der Philosophie, II. Auf., Hamburg, 1836—38.

      Zeller, Philosophie der Griechen, III. Auf., Leipzig, 1879—89.

      Lewes, History of Philosophy, Vol. I., London, 1866.

      Ueberweg, History of Philosophy, IV. ed., translated by Morris, 1871.

      Brochard, Les Sceptiques Grecs, Paris, 1877.

      Brochard, Pyrrhon et le Scepticism Primitive, No. 5, Ribot's Revue Phil., Paris, 1885.

      Saisset, Le Scepticism Aenésidème-Pascal-Kant, Paris, 1867.

      Chaignet, Histoire de la Psychologie des Grecs, Paris, 1887–90.

      Haas, Leben des Sextus Empiricus, Burghausen, 1882.

      Natorp, Forschungen zur Geschichte des Erkenntnisproblems bei den Alten, Berlin, 1884.

      Hirzel, Untersuchungen zu Cicero's philosophischen Schriften, Leipzig, 1877–83.

      Pappenheim, Erläuterung zu des Sextus Empiricus Pyrrhoneischen Grundzügen, Heidelberg, 1882.

      Pappenheim, Die Tropen der Greichischen Skeptiker, Berlin, 1885.

      Pappenheim, Lebensverhältnisse des Sextus Empiricus, Berlin, 1887.

      Pappenheim, Der angebliche Heraclitismus des Skeptikers Ainesidemos, Berlin, 1887.

      Pappenheim, Der Sitz der Schule der Griechischen Skeptiker, Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie, I. 1, S. 47, 1887.

      Maccoll, The Greek Sceptics from Pyrrho to Sextus, London, 1869.

      My grateful acknowledgments are due to Dr. Ludwig Stein, Professor of Philosophy in the University of Bern, for valuable assistance in relation to the plan of the work and advice in regard to the best authorities to be consulted. Thanks are also due to Dr. Louisos Iliou, of Robert College, Constantinople, for kind suggestions concerning the translation.

CHAPTER I.

       Table of Contents

PAGE

THE HISTORICAL RELATIONS OF SEXTUS EMPIRICUS		1
	Introductory paragraph.—The name of Sextus Empiricus. His profession.—The time when he lived.—The place of his birth.—The seat of the Sceptical School while Sextus was at its head.—The character of the writings of Sextus Empiricus.

CHAPTER II.

       Table of Contents

THE POSITION AND AIM OF PYRRHONIC SCEPTICISM		23
	The subject-matter of the Hypotyposes.—The origin of Pyrrhonism.—The nomenclature of Pyrrhonism.—Its criterion.—Its aim.—ἐποχή and ἀταραξία.—The standpoint of Pyrrhonism.

CHAPTER III.

       Table of Contents

THE SCEPTICAL TROPES		31
	Origin of the name.—The ten Tropes of ἐποχή.—The First Trope.—The Second Trope.—The Third Trope.—The Fourth Trope.—The Fifth Trope.—The Sixth Trope.—The Seventh Trope.—The Eighth Trope.—The Ninth Trope.—The Tenth Trope.—The five Tropes of Agrippa.—The two Tropes.—The Tropes of Aenesidemus against Aetiology.

CHAPTER IV.

       Table of Contents

AENESIDEMUS AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF HERACLITUS		63
	Statement of the problem.—The theory of Pappenheim.—The theory of Brochard.—Zeller's theory.—The theory of Ritter and Saisset.—The theory of Hirzel and Natorp.—Critical examination of the subject.

CHAPTER V.

       Table of Contents

CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF PYRRHONISM		81
	Pyrrhonism and Pyrrho.—Pyrrhonism and the Academy. Strength and weakness of Pyrrhonism.

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE PYRRHONIC SKETCHES BY SEXTUS EMPIRICUS, TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK

101

CHAPTER I.

       Table of Contents

      The Historical Relations of Sextus Empiricus.

      Interest has revived in the works of Sextus Empiricus in recent times, especially, one may say, since the date of Herbart. There is much in the writings of Sextus that finds a parallel in the methods of modern philosophy. There is a common starting-point in the study of the power and limitations of human thought. There is a common desire to investigate