Academic skepticism

Academic skepticism is the tradition of philosophical inquiry associated with Plato’s Academy that argues against certainty and questions whether human beings can attain knowledge.

Epoché: Suspension of judgment in response to unresolved disagreement or insufficient evidence. Academic skeptics used suspension of judgment to avoid assenting to claims they could not know.
Plato: An ancient Greek philosopher whose dialogues shaped Western philosophy and founded the Academy in Athens. His school became the institution in which Academic skepticism developed.
Cicero: A Roman statesman and writer whose philosophical dialogues present Greek philosophical debates in Latin. His dialogue Academica is a major source for Academic skeptical arguments.
Academic scepticism in Cicero: Cicero’s philosophical dialogue examining Academic skepticism and disputes about knowledge. It is the fullest surviving ancient presentation of the Academy’s skeptical debate.
Equipollence: A condition in which arguments on opposing sides appear equally persuasive. Balanced opposing arguments support the skeptic’s case for withholding assent.
Platonic Academy: A philosophical school founded by Plato in Athens and continued by later leaders. Academic skepticism takes its name from this school and its evolving teaching.
Sextus Empiricus: A Greek physician and philosopher whose surviving works describe ancient skeptical methods and arguments. His account helps distinguish Academic skepticism from the Pyrrhonian tradition he represents.
Cartesian skepticism: A method of doubting beliefs to identify whether any knowledge survives radical doubt. Later skepticism reused the challenge of determining whether certainty is attainable.
Criterion of truth: A proposed standard for distinguishing true beliefs from false ones. Skeptical arguments challenge whether any reliable criterion can establish truth.
Arcesilaus: A Greek philosopher who led Plato’s Academy in the third century BCE and advanced skeptical argument. He is commonly credited with turning the Academy toward systematic skepticism.

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