Seminar Sextus Empiricus

This course will focus on the first two books of Sextus’ Outlines of Pyrrhonism (also known as the Outlines of Scepticism), and we will also look Sextus’ Against the Logicians (also known as Against the Mathematicians Bks. VII-VIII). The first book of the Outlines gives an account of the skeptical project as a whole, skeptical tranquility, the various ‘modes’ for inducing skeptical suspension, the skeptical sayings, and the relationship between skepticism and similar philosophies. The second book of the Outlines, as well as the more elaborate Against the Logicians, argues for skeptical suspension concerning the ‘logical’ topics of philosophy, especially as these are defined by the Stoics. Hence it contains interesting discussions of apprehension, criteria, intellect, the senses, the human, the true, signs, proof, division, etc. Particular care will be given to Sextus’ reflexive stance, the contingency of skepticism, the importance of tranquility, the skeptic’s use of language, and the Stoic’s logical positions which Sextus seeks to undermine. This class is for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. No prior knowledge of ancient Greek or ancient philosophy are required for this class. English will be the primary language of the course. Required Texts: The main texts for this course will be: • Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Scepticism. Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (translator). Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed. 2000. ISBN 0-521-77809-3. • Sextus Empiricus, Against the Logicians. Richard Bett (translator). Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-521-53195-0. • Sextus Empiricus, Grundriß der pyrrhonischen Skepsis. Malte Hossenfelder (translator). Suhrkamp Verlag, 1985. ISBN 3-518-28099-6 Some other primary and secondary sources will be mentioned in the syllabus and discussed in the course introduction. FB 02 Institut für Philosophie Uni Kassel SoSe 2014 Lehrveranstaltungspool FB 02 Philosophie NF Greenstine Jacob