Outlines of Pyrrhonism: Sextus Empiricus (Great Books in Philosophy) [Paperback]

R. G. Bury (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0879755970 | ISBN-13: 978-0879755973 | Publication Date: September 1990

"Outlines of Pyrrhonism".

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879755970
• ISBN-13: 978-0879755973
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Correction to Amazon "Synopsis", July 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Outlines of Pyrrhonism: Sextus Empiricus (Great Books in Philosophy) (Paperback)

This work is a classic; it largely is a recording of the otherwise unavailable teachings attributed to a Greek philosopher of the 4th c. BC named Pyrrho of Elis. The reason I wrote this, however, is that the "synopsis" presented by Amazon summarizing the book is seriously faulty. First of all, I can't imagine why it says that this book considers "th[e] theory as set forth" by Sextus that "certain knowledge is possible--that the physical world and ideas formulated about it could be given solid foundations unaffected by the varieties of mere opinion." Sextus, and Pyrrho, the man of whose teachings Sextus is mostly just a scribe, believed precisely the opposite. I think the synopsis may just have been poorly written, but in any case it gives an incorrect impression.

Second, it is deeply false to call Sextus the "founder of the 'skeptic' school of thought." Though no one is sure when Sextus lived, it was several centuries after Pyrrho, and even Pyrrho couldn't be called the founder of Skepticism. His teacher Anaxarchus taught a reasoned and systematized series of arguments that explained his epistemological doubts. Moreover, Plato's work "Theatetus" also sets forth detailed epistemological skepticism, and that work predates even the lifetime of Anaxarchus. "[S]keptic school[s] of thought" had flourished for centuries in Greece and Rome before Sextus was even born.

The synopsis is misleading and inaccurate.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Outlines of Pyrrhonism: Sextus Empiricus (Great Books in Philosophy) (Paperback)

This is one of the best books ever written on skepticism. The author takes the position that dogmatists are sick and in need of a cure. This cure is skepticism. He then attacks beliefs in dogmatic positions such as belief in God, the certainty of knowledge and so forth. This is the one true book for the skeptical position. Skepticism as presented in this book is as skepticism should be, that is, a double edged sword. Empiricus attacks everything, including other skeptics. This is as skepticism should be, not the watered down version practiced by most skeptics nowadays. For instance, most skeptics believe in atheism and evolution, wheras their are major objections against these positions, that clearly refute them. A true skeptic looks at both sides of the issue. An excellent book.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the bible for all sincere truth seekers, July 28, 2000

By 

louis smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outlines of Pyrrhonism: Sextus Empiricus (Great Books in Philosophy) (Paperback)

This is "without a doubt" the best book ever written for those who sincerely want the truth. Empiricus does an outstanding and brilliant job on describing skepticism. He shows that a true skeptic doubts everything, and not just the paranormal and "fringe beliefs". The book is a how to manual for being a skeptic. The author shows why doubt is necessary to establish truth. He shows why we can never know something for certain,and that all beliefs are only probabilities. After reading this book, one will get a better understanding of unorthodox beliefs. One will see that people who believe in unusual things may not be irrational at all but hardened skeptics who may in fact be wise. This book should be required reading at all schools including doctoral levels of learning. If people were more skeptical of everything including the orthodox teachings of science and established "knowledge", we may come closer to truth and wisdom instead of believing things that are not true.