Pyrrho of Elis

by

Dee Clayman

Introduction

Pyrrho of Elis (c. 365–c. 275 BCE) stood at the head of the skeptical movement in Greek philosophy, or so it seemed to his admirers, who later called themselves Pyrrhonians or Skeptics. Although his only attested written work, a poem for Alexander the Great, is lost, some idea of his attitudes, his disposition, and perhaps even his thoughts can be gathered from fragments of the work of his most important student, Timon of Phlius, his biography in the Lives of Diogenes Laertius, and a few other sources. Timon’s contemporary, Arcesilaus, reoriented Plato’s Academy in a skeptical direction around 265 BCE without acknowledging Pyrrho, but in the first century BCE Aenesidemus revived Skepticism under Pyrrho’s banner. His vision, in turn, was developed in detail by Sextus Empiricus, perhaps in the latter part of the 2nd century, and through his books Pyrrho’s legacy became a force in Western culture that remains powerful to this day.

Sources

All of the testimonia on the life of Pyrrho and relevant texts have been collected in Decleva Caizzi 1981a, which should be read with Decleva Caizzi 1981b.

• Decleva Caizzi, Fernanda. 1981a. Pirrone testimonianze. Elenchos Collana 5. Naples, Italy: Bibliopolis.

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  A compilation of all the testimonia relating to the life and teaching of Pyrrho, with Greek and Latin texts (pp. 29–80), Italian translations (pp. 83–128), and detailed commentary also in Italian (pp. 131–285). An essential scholarly resource.

• Decleva Caizzi, Fernanda. 1981b. Prolegomeni ad una raccolta delle fonti relative a Pirrone di Elide. In Lo Scetticismo antico 1. Edited by Gabriele Giannantoni, 95–128. Naples, Italy: Bibliopolis.

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  Discussion of the issues raised in selecting testimonia for Decleva Caizzi 1981a.