Número 24 - 2003
Articles

Is Sextus Empiricus a Protagoric?

Claudia Lorena García
(Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET)

Published 2013-11-28

How to Cite

García, C. L. (2013). Is Sextus Empiricus a Protagoric?. Tópicos, Revista De Filosofía, 24(1), 71–90. https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v24i1.278

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Abstract

In the Outlines of Pyrrhonism, Sextus Empiricus advances an argument similar to Descartes' dream, which seems to commit Sextus to some sort of Protagorean relativism. In this article, I examine this argument in the context of other passages of Sextus and propose an interpretation that shows that the skepticism that one can draw from this argument is as radical as Descartes', but it can never be considered a relativistic argument. I show that Sextus makes a crucial mistake when describing Protagoras' position as well as his own —a mistake which could lead one to falsely conclude that Sextus is a Protagorean relativist.

 

References

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