Ancient Scepticism by Thorsrud Harald

Author:Thorsrud, Harald [Harald Thorsrud]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781317492825
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

One might, for example, worry about whether or not a benevolent God exists. It is easy to imagine how conflicting accounts on this matter might be disturbing (although we shall look more closely at the nature of the proto-sceptic’s disturbance later in this chapter). It is also easy to suppose that the way to relieve such a disturbance is by determining the truth. Once I come to know that God exists (or does not exist) I can stop worrying about it.

So the proto-sceptic sets about examining all the relevant arguments and evidence they can find. Instead of discovering the truth, however, “they came upon equipollent dispute, and being unable to decide this they suspended judgment. And when they suspended judgment, tranquility in matters of opinion followed fortuitously” (PH 1.26). The fortuitous appearance of tranquillity is also related in the following story:

They say that [Apelles] was painting a horse and wanted to represent in his picture the lather on the horse’s mouth; but he was so unsuccessful that he gave up, took the sponge on which he had been wiping off the colors from his brush, and flung it at the picture. And when it hit the picture, it produced a representation of the horse’s lather. Now the Sceptics were hoping to acquire tranquility by deciding the anomalies in what appears and is thought of, and being unable to do this they suspended judgment. But when they suspended judgment, tranquility followed as it were fortuitously, as a shadow follows a body.

(PH 1.28–29)

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