Disturbance in the Outlines of Sextus Empiricus

Abstract

Abstract Sextus seems to offer inconsistent accounts of the sceptics’ achievement of tranquillity, apparently saying both that the sceptics’ tranquillity is achieved by suspending judgement on all issues and that it is achieved by suspending judgement only on the issue of there being objective goods and evils. It is argued that Sextus does not make the latter claim. The reason for the sceptics’ achievement of tranquillity is to be found in the original perplexity that instigated scepticism and left them immune to the value beliefs that disturb everyone else. After discussing this perplexity that gave rise to scepticism, the paper focuses on Sextus’ explanation of sceptical tranquillity and dogmatic disturbance.