Agrippa the Skeptic c. 10 – c. 80
Agrippa the Skeptic (c. 10 – c. 80) was a Greek philosopher of the Ancient era, associated with Skepticism and Hellenistic.
Agrippa the Skeptic was a Greek Pyrrhonist philosopher of the first century AD, traditionally the author of the famous Five Modes of skeptical argument, preserved in Sextus Empiricus's Outlines of Pyrrhonism: the disagreement of philosophers, the regress of reasons, the relativity of perception, the unprovable hypothesis, and the circularity of justification. Together these modes constitute the most powerful ancient argument that no philosophical claim can be definitively established, since every attempt to ground it must invoke a further claim that requires its own ground in turn. The trilemma at the heart of these modes, between regress, hypothesis, and circle, has remained one of the most enduring problems of epistemology.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Greek
- Era
- Ancient
- Movements
- Skepticism, Hellenistic
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Agrippa the Skeptic:
“Every philosophical claim invites either an infinite regress, a circular argument, or an unproven hypothesis.”
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Attributed to Agrippa the Skeptic:
“Where the philosophers disagree, the wise man does not yet take sides.”
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Attributed to Agrippa the Skeptic:
“Things appear differently to different observers, and we have no neutral standpoint from which to choose.”
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Attributed to Agrippa the Skeptic:
“What we offer as evidence today must itself find its evidence tomorrow, and so on without end.”
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Attributed to Agrippa the Skeptic:
“Suspension of judgment is not the death of philosophy; it is its proper humility.”
Frequently asked about Agrippa the Skeptic
- When did Agrippa the Skeptic live?
- Agrippa the Skeptic was born in c. 10 and died in c. 80.
- Where was Agrippa the Skeptic from?
- Agrippa the Skeptic was a Greek philosopher of the Ancient era.
- What philosophical movements is Agrippa the Skeptic associated with?
- Agrippa the Skeptic was associated with Skepticism and Hellenistic.
- What was Agrippa the Skeptic known for?
- Agrippa the Skeptic was a Greek Pyrrhonist philosopher of the first century AD, traditionally the author of the famous Five Modes of skeptical argument, preserved in Sextus Empiricus's Outlines of Pyrrhonism: the disagreement of philosophers, the regress of reasons, the relativity of perception, the unprovable hypothesis, and the circularity of justification.
- How many quotes are attributed to Agrippa the Skeptic?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Agrippa the Skeptic in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.