Cambridge Companion To Ancient Scepticism, The

Description:
This volume offers a comprehensive survey of the main periods, schools, and individual proponents of scepticism in the ancient Greek and Roman world. The contributors examine the major developments chronologically and historically, ranging from the early antecedents of scepticism to the Pyrrhonist tradition. They address the central philosophical and interpretive problems surrounding the sceptics' ideas on subjects including belief, action, and ethics. Finally, they explore the effects which these forms of scepticism had beyond the ancient period, and the ways in which ancient scepticism differs from scepticism as it has been understood since Descartes. The volume will serve as an accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the subject for non-specialists, while also offering considerable depth and detail for more advanced readers.

Table of Contents:
Abbreviations; Introduction, Richard Bett; Part I. Origins and Development: 1. Antecedents in early Greek philosophy Mi-Kyoung Lee; 2. Pyrrho and early Pyrrhonism Svavar Hrafn Svavarsson; 3. Arcesilaus and Carneades Harald Thorsrud; 4. The sceptical academy: decline and afterline Carlos Levy; 5. Aenesidemus and the rebirth of Pyrrhonism James Hankinson; 6. Sextus Empiricus Pierre Pellegrin; Part II. Topics and Problems: 7. Scepticism and belief Casey Perin; 8. Scepticism and action Katja Maria Vogt; 9. Scepticism and ethics Richard Bett; 10. Academics versus Pyrrhonists, reconsidered Gisela Striker; 11. The Pyrrhonian modes Paul Woodruff; 12. Pyrrhonism and medicine James Allen; 13. Pyrrhonism and the specialized sciences Emidio Spinelli; Part III. Beyond Antiquity: 14. The rediscovery and posthumous influence of scepticism Luciano Floridi; 15. Descartes' transformation of the sceptical tradition Michael Williams; Bibliography.

Author Biography:
Richard Bett is Professor of Philosophy and Classics at Johns Hopkins University. His previous publications include Pyrrho, his Antecedents and his Legacy (2000), and translations of Sextus Empiricus' Against the Ethicists (1997, with commentary) and Against the Logicians (2005).