The skeptical method: Sextus Empiricus and Socrates

The explication of the skeptical doctrine is masterfully explained from Sextus Empiricus(a.Ch. 180-230), that in the Pyrrhonian sketches has explained the method of skeptical philosophy, he says that: “The skeptical philosophy carry out the its valor for the contraposition the phenomena and the intellective perceptions in every manner, hence for the force of the facts and of the opposing reason, we arrive to the suspension of judge…”; this is doctrine of Sextus Empiricus, that is the doctrine may exact of the skeptical, and I have used the word may because now I feel me skeptical, this is I want think that the doctrine of skeptical is so, but the explication has came from a source alone, therefore we can doubt that it is the skeptical doctrine, and following the text of Sextus we can also say that: “We say “valor”, without add to this word nothing meaning. To the word “phenomena” we can say the meaning date of the sense, and we oppose to them the perceptions of the dates of sense, and we oppose to them the perceptions of the intellect. The adjunct “for the every manner” can be refer it to the explication of its valor…For the words “oppose reasons”, we not think, absolutely, the affirmation or negation, but alone the opposite reasons that fight between them. Through the words “equal force”, we think parity in confront to the credibility and to not credibility, so that nothing of these reasons is preferred to other”; the ambivalence of this skeptical text is evident, and Sextus Empiricus explained it clearly; but we can also consider, and here we must, not can but must, use the skeptical doctrine, because the analysis of the words that Sextus has made in this chapter is very important for to hypothesize an Socratic origin of this analysis; because Socrates has considered the meaning of the words that his interlocutors has used, certainly for the education of his interlocutors, this is demonstrate the valor of logic, that for him was a dogma, although he never has expressed this theory, but Sextus Empiricus has made the same thing, he here explains the meaning of the words that he has used and he gives a meaning, for the explication of the skeptical doctrine, and in fact following the read other chapter says: “If the skeptical philosopher has a sect. Similarly we behavior to answer to the question if the skepticism has a sect. In fact if through word the sect we must think an inclination to much dogma…and through dogma we think the assent to obscure thing, we must affirm that a skeptic hasn’t a sect.”; the analysis of the words continues and other two nearness to Socrates are two: the first not dogmatic truth, that in fact Socrates has never used, and the second is the logic and constancy to follow their method, that in fact has brought to the death Socrates;but other motive for the nearness to Socrates is literally the absence of a school, that Socrates didn’t has had; and this motive is equally important for the consideration of this nearness; anyway these are the conjunctions points between Socrates and skeptical philosophers; the logic is dominant because also the skeptical philosopher were doubtful for the theories, and in fact, as Socrates, they took the doubt for the principal motive of inquiry, and also so they has had always suspicion of judge; Socrates exposed the doubts through the logic words, and the skeptical philosophers through the suspicion of judge; two methods but the same result.

Alessandro Lusana