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ARCESILAUS (316–241 B.c.)

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 342 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

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ARCESILAUS (316–241 B.c.)

ARCESILAUS (316–241 B.c.) , a See also:

Greek philosopher and founder of the New, or See also:

MIDDLE

Middle, See also:

Academy (see ACADEMY, GREEK). See also:

BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

Born at Pitane in See also:

AEOLIS (AEOLIA)

Aeolis, he was trained by See also:

AUTOLYCUS

Autolycus, the mathematician, and later at See also:

Athens by See also:

THEOPHRASTUS

Theophrastus and See also:

CRANTOR

Crantor, by whom he was led to join the Academy. He subsequently became intimate with Polemon and See also:

CRATES

Crates, whom he succeeded as See also:

head of the school. See also:

DIOGENES

Diogenes Laertius says that he died of excessive drinking, but the testimony of others (e.g. See also:

CLEANTHES (c. 301-232 or 252 B.C.)

Cleanthes) and his own precepts discredit the See also:

story, and he is known to have been much respected by the Athenians. His doctrines, which must be gathered from the writings of others (See also:

CICERO

Cicero, Acad. i. 12, iv. 24; De Oral. iii. r8; Diogenes Laertius iv. 28; Sextus Empiricus, Adv. Math. vii. 150, Pyrrh. Hyp. i.

233), represent an attack on the Stoic cxavracia KaTaXII1rTIK1] (Criterion) and are based on the sceptical See also:

ELEMENT (Lat. elementum)

element (see See also:

SCEPTICISM (o-Kesrroµai, I consider, reflect, hesitate, doubt)

SCEPTICISM) which was latent in the later writings of See also:

PLATO

Plato. He held that strength of intellectual conviction cannot be regarded as valid, inasmuch as it is characteristic equally of contradictory convictions. The uncertainty of sensible data applies equally to the conclusions of See also:

REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason, and therefore See also:

man must be content with See also:

PROBABILITY (Lat. probabilis, probable or credible)

probability which is sufficient as a See also:

PRACTICAL

practical See also:

GUIDE (in Mid. Eng. gyde, from the Fr. guide; the earlier French form was guie, English " guy," the d was due to the Italian form guida; the ultimate origin is probably Teutonic, the word being connected with the base seen in O. Eng. witan, to know)

guide. " We know nothing, not even our See also:

IGNORANCE (Lat. ignorantia, from ignorare, not to know); want of knowledge, a state of mind which in law has important consequences. A well-known legal maxim runs: ignorantia juris non excusat ("ignorance of the law does not excuse")

ignorance "; therefore the See also:

wise man will be content with an agnostic attitude. He made use of the Socratic method of instruction and See also:

LEFT

left no writings. His arguments were marked by incisive See also:

HUMOUR (Latin humor)

humour and fertility of ideas. See R. Brodeisen, De Arcesila philosopho (1821); Aug. Geffers, De Arcesila (1842); See also:

Ritter and See also:

Preller, Hist. phiios. See also:

grace. (1898); Ed. See also:

ZELLER, EDUARD (1814-1908)

Zeller, Phil. d. Griech.

(iii. 1448) ; and See also:

general See also:

WORKS

works under SCEPTICISM.

End of Article: ARCESILAUS (316–241 B.c.)

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