Abstract
From the Pyrrhonians, who recommended living by appearances, Francis Bacon learned how apparent knowledge is practical. If we can improve how reality appears, we can gain new power over nature. This idea is at the heart of his method of science. Pyrrhonians broke off from the Academy, for the first time forming a school proclaiming skepticism. They had to solve the problem of situational skepticism. Sextus Empiricus refused to endorse or deny any opinion about reality, assenting only to its appearances. Plato’s Academy had been accused of being impractical since they never wholeheartedly recommended a way of life, always doubting their best advice as less than knowledge (being actively fallible.) Pyrrhonians, mostly skeptical medical practitioners, countered that we do not need to follow philosophical opinions because we can live by appearances or how reality seems. If we stop fussing about what is really the case, we may get some ataraxia (peace of mind.) Francis Bacon took advantage of how appearances can be practically useful. He proposed making them even more practical by going beyond them to new knowledge of an underlying reality that gives us new powers over nature.
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Notes
- 1.
Richard Bett (2000) makes a very good case that the “Pyrrhonian skepticism” of Sextus Empricus must be different from the kind of skepticism espoused by Pyrrho of Elis, if the latter was even a skeptic at all. It is also distinct from the skepticism propounded by Aenesidemus when he left the Academy, beven ased on the spotty record of his opinions. This would suggest that Sextus Empriricus was more original as a skeptic than often allowed.
- 2.
For more information about the Hellenistic period of philosophy, the reader may consult Long and Sedley (1987).
- 3.
Michael Frede (1987) brought to our attention the importance of the ancient study of medicine to philosophy and vice versa. Medicine was an early science to become autonomous, following Hippocrates, but like later sciences (physics, chemistry and biology for instance) philosophy always remains central to scientific thought, and vice versa.
- 4.
See Owsei Temkin’s Introduction to the Gynaecology (Soranus 1956).
- 5.
Soranus (1956) seem to have a well rounded approach to medicine in his gyaecology, obstetrics and pediatrics. He was also quite knowledgeable about anatomy and physiology, though the Methodists have been criticisized for their neglect of the subjects. Perhaps the Methodists did not neglect them, but it is to be noted that their methods or their tests could be performed without taking account of anatomy or physiology when evaluating their results.
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Hattiangadi, J. (2024). Pyrrhonians, a School of Skeptics. In: Francis Bacon’s Skeptical Recipes for New Knowledge. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52585-8_4
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