What was Academic Skepticism in ancient philosophy?

Academic Skepticism is a tradition of philosophical skepticism originating from Plato's Academy. It is historically contrasted with Pyrrhonian skepticism, particularly regarding its stance on the possibility of knowledge and the suspension of judgment. Philosophical views of this type question knowledge claims, serving as a model for categories of skepticism that advocate for the suspension of judgment due to inadequate evidence.

What we know

• Philosophical skeptics are often categorized based on differences modeled after Academic skeptics and Pyrrhonian skeptics. [3]
• Academic skeptics helped shape the distinction between those who deny all possibility of knowledge and those who advocate for suspending judgment because of inadequate evidence. [3]
• Philosophical skepticism questions the possibility of knowledge and differs from other forms by rejecting even very plausible common-sense knowledge claims. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• compared withWhat is Pyrrhonian skepticism?
• how it workedHow does philosophical skepticism reject knowledge?
• the bigger pictureWhat role did Plato's Academy play in ancient thought?
• whoWho were the main figures of ancient skepticism?
• an unexpected connectionHow does religious skepticism differ from philosophical skepticism?

Sources

• [1]skepticism (Wikidata Q1395219) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Skepticism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Philosophical skepticism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Religious skepticism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]De la Sagesse · CC BY-SA 4.0