Do you know who such a skeptic is?

Philosophical doctrines, widespread as far back as BC, were replete with various terms, common nouns, and so on. Some of them "survived" to the present and are often used in everyday life. For example, who is a skeptic, the meaning of the word "positive" and other expressions, even children know. However, by no means all know where the source of this or that name or statement originates. Consider what the word "skeptic" means in more detail.

Philosophical teaching

Skepticism originated at the turn of the 4th-3rd centuries BC. E., Almost at the same time with such teachings as the Stoic school and Epicurean. The founder of this philosophical trend is considered to be the Greek artist Pyrrho, who introduced such alien elements for the Hellenistic school as a whole, as a "position of indifference", "detachment", "practice of non-judgment."

If we consider who a skeptic is, from the point of view of that time, then it could be said that he was a man who did not strive to achieve the truth of nature, did not try to know the world, but accepted things as they were. And this was the main idea of the teachings of Pyrrho, who occupied a leading place among the philosophers of that era.

Stages of development

The teaching of skeptics passed three periods of development:

• The senior pyrronism (3rd century BC). This teaching was characterized as practical, based on "ethics". The founders are Pyrrho and his pupil Timon, whose doctrine influenced the worldview of the Stoics and Epicurean.
• Academism (3-2 centuries BC). Representatives of this branch proclaimed critical skepticism in a theoretical form.
• The younger Pyrrhonism. The main philosophers of this direction are Agrippa and Eneside, and the supporters were doctors, among whom Sextus Empiricus is known. This period is characterized by the systematization of the arguments of the teaching. Thus, in the paths presented by Enesydem, the basic principles on the impossibility of knowing everything around with the help of the senses are explained. Later, these arguments were reduced to a single provision on the relativity of perception.

Basic principles of teaching

To give a full explanation of who such a skeptic is, let us give the following information. Representatives of this teaching did not deny the truth of this or that statement, but they did not take it for truth. It concerned all spheres - religion, scientific disciplines (physics, mathematics, etc.), healing and others. For example, the existence of God was not denied by skeptics, but at the same time they did not take either side, not one opinion about the nature of God, his qualities, and so on. In their opinion, what can not be felt or understood can not be judged. At the same time, what can be felt, tasted or felt by other organs can not be unambiguously assessed, since perception is relative. Therefore, it is better to refrain from any judgments or notations, but simply accept everything as it is.

As it was said above, this philosophical direction had many supporters in medicine. If we consider who a skeptic is in this sphere, one can single out the following statement: "A doctor should not think about the nature of the disease, it is enough to ascertain the fact of the disease and record the symptoms. You also need to apply a known treatment to patients. "

Consequently, it can be said that a person who does not evaluate phenomena, things, and also does not appropriate his subjective opinion is a skeptic. Synonyms of this word are often used in our time, while their meaning with the original meaning is sometimes different. For example, a nihilist (a person who denies life), a little faith, and even a pessimist.

In general, it can be said that the teaching played an important role in the overall development of mankind. It allowed to get rid of erroneous judgments, prohibitions imposed by religious schools.