Pyrrho

Pyrrho of Elis (c. 360–270 BCE) was a Greek philosopher who founded Pyrrhonism, a school of radical skepticism. He is traditionally regarded as the first to advocate suspending judgment about knowledge claims in order to achieve a tranquil, undisturbed mind, or ataraxia. His method emphasized withholding assent on beliefs about the external world, the senses, and moral claims, arguing that appearances can be interpreted in opposing ways and that certainty is unattainable.

Life and sources: Pyrrho came from Elis in the western Peloponnese. Historical details about his life are scarce, and none of his writings survive. Ancient sources suggest he traveled widely, possibly accompanying Alexander the Great on campaigns to the Indian subcontinent. After his travels he taught in southern Greece. Our knowledge of his ideas comes largely from later writers, including Diogenes Laertius, and from the tradition of his followers who recorded his arguments.

Philosophy: Central to Pyrrho’s thought is epoché, the practice of suspending judgment about belief since certainty cannot be achieved. By withholding assent, one can attain ataraxia, a state of peace of mind. Pyrrho also advocated equipollence, the equally balanced consideration of opposing arguments, which counsels abstaining from dogmatic conclusions. The overall aim is not denial of appearances but freedom from dogmatic commitment to any system of knowledge.

Influence and legacy: Pyrrho’s ideas gave rise to Pyrrhonism, a persistent thread of Skepticism in antiquity. The tradition was carried forward by later skeptics such as Timon of Phlius, Aenesidemus, Agrippa the Skeptic, and Sextus Empiricus, who preserved and elaborated Pyrrhonian methods for arguing against definitive knowledge. Pyrrho’s impact extends to discussions of epistemology and the limits of certainty in later philosophical thought.