Pyrrho of Elis · Philosophy

The Quest for Tranquillity

Pyrrho of Elis founded Greek skepticism not as an intellectual game but as a route to <em>ataraxia</em> - unshakeable calm. Disturbed by the endless, irresolvable disputes of the philosophers, he concluded that the cure for anxiety was to stop insisting on how things really are.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Pyrrho (c. 360 to 270 BC) reportedly travelled east with Alexander’s army, met Indian sages, and returned convinced that our endless disputes about the nature of things are the source of our disturbance. His remedy was to suspend judgement - neither affirm nor deny how things really are - and he claim…

Leads to Epicurus.

Begin this lesson →
← All lessons on Pyrrho of Elis

epoché — a humanities education that remembers you.