Author Description

The Sceptics is the first comprehensive account of Greek scepticism. Presenting the latest scholarship in cogent and accessible form, R. J. Hankinson traces the evolution of sceptical thought in Greece from 500 BC to AD 200, from the beginnings of epistemology with Xenophanes to the fully developed Pyrrhonist position of Sextus Empiricus. Hankinson discusses the nature of scepticism, identifies its origins and examines its influence on later philosophical thought. In addition, he provides a detailed analysis of the work of Sextus Empiricus, the only complete source on late Pyrrhonism, and he concludes by considering the overall coherence of the sceptical programme and by asking if the life envisaged by the sceptics is in fact a liveable one. The Sceptics will be of interest to students of ancient philosophy and to philosophers interested in the history of epistemology.