PHIL 2100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Pyrrhonism, Ataraxia, Basic Belief

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 2100
• Professor: Yussif Yakubu

Document Summary

Last week we looked at a serious challenge to the traditional analysis of knowledge: Agrippa"s trilemma: a: involve an infinite regress of reasons or, b: involve circularity or, c: terminate in an undefended assumption. Given agrippa"s trilemma, we have two options: either a) accept it and find some way to deal with it or b) take one horn of the trilemma and show how it is unproblematic. The pyrrhonian skeptics took option a) and have us the ten modes. Keep in mind that the ten modes are not an argument; they are not trying to convince you of anything. Rather, they are giving you something to do in order to accept reality. By developing the ten modes, one practices the art of epoche (suspension of judgment) which leads to ataraxia (calmness of mind) and ultimately apathea (freedom from passions) Naturally, most philosophers want to take option b). Surely, they reason, not all cases of the trilemma lead to absurdity.