What was the philosophy of Sextus Empiricus?

Sextus Empiricus was a 2nd-century Roman physician and philosopher whose writings provide the most complete surviving account of ancient Greek Pyrrhonism. His philosophy rejected dogmatism and advocated for the suspension of judgment regarding the truth of all beliefs. Furthermore, his preserved texts serve as a major source of information about other Hellenistic philosophies against which he argued.

What we know

• Sextus Empiricus was a Greek Pyrrhonist philosopher, an Empiric school physician, and a holder of Roman citizenship who flourished in the mid-to-late 2nd century CE. [1, 2]
• His philosophical works constitute the most complete surviving account of ancient Greek and Roman Pyrrhonism. [2]
• Pyrrhonism is an ancient school of philosophical skepticism that rejects dogma and promotes suspending judgment about the truth of beliefs. [3]
• Because of his arguments against other Hellenistic philosophies, Sextus's works act as a major source of information on those very traditions. [2]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is Pyrrhonism?
• what followedHow did Pyrrhonism influence early modern philosophy?
• whoWho was Aenesidemus?
• compared withHow did Immanuel Kant use the terms phenomenon and noumenon?
• how it workedWhat did the Empiric school of ancient medicine practice?
• an unexpected connectionHow did an ancient skeptic influence Reformation thought?The Renaissance publication of Sextus Empiricus's skeptical works sparked a major revival of interest that actively shaped Reformation thinking and the trajectory of early modern philosophy.

Sources

• [1]Sextus Empiricus (Wikidata Q236594) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Sextus Empiricus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Pyrrhonism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Sextus of Chaeronea · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Phenomenon · CC BY-SA 4.0