History of Philosophy

Ancient Philosophy

Skepticism

The most paradoxical school of the Hellenistic era was Skepticism, founded by Pyrrho of Elis, who died around 275 BCE. He was a contemporary of Zeno, who laid the foundations of Stoicism, and Epicurus, and served as a soldier in Alexander's army. The diverse experiences he encountered while traveling with Alexander's army so profoundly impressed him that Pyrrho renounced the notion of objective truth. He asserted that truth does not exist; all that human cultures have achieved is merely a product of human creativity. If there is no truth, then there is nothing to strive for or defend. In such a case, the most appropriate moral stance is complete restraint from judgments and conclusions in knowledge, as well as total indifference in ethics.