ABSTRACT

Philosophers know that the Sceptic's 'observance of life' has four components: 'the guidance of nature'; 'the compulsion of the affections'; 'the tradition of laws and customs'; and the 'instruction of the arts'. It is important not to misrepresent the Sceptic's attitude. Sextus remarks that the Sceptic's utterances are to be taken as being interrogative in form; and Burnyeat notes that this coheres well with the Sceptic's claim to continue searching for answers. If the therapeutic interpretation of Scepticism is right, then, as Barnes points out, it has some implications for the question of the scope of Pyrrhonian skepticism. The Sceptic's claims can be challenged on two levels – first of all it is controversial whether their recipe will in fact reduce tarache, at least in all sufferers – perhaps some people need a good hearty dose of naive Dogmatism. But secondly it is not even clear whether the life of ataraxia is to be preferred.