Method
Pyrrhonian Opposition of Arguments
Classification
- Method family
- dialogical
- Domains
- Epistemology
Overview
Pyrrhonian suspension sets opposing appearances or arguments against one another and withholds assent when neither side is more convincing.
Purpose. The method keeps inquiry open without affirming a dogmatic answer. Equipollence is a stage in this procedure: the balanced force of the opposition leads to suspension. The method is distinct from the position that suspension is the justified response to a particular problem.
Characteristic operations
- Formulate both sides: Consider a claim and a genuinely conflicting alternative.
- Set out the opposition: Gather appearances and arguments that bear on each side.
- Assess their force: Determine whether either account is more convincing than the other.
- Suspend assent: When the considerations remain equipollent, affirm neither conclusion and continue investigating.
Used by traditions
Applied to questions
References
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Ancient Skepticism, §4
- Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism I.8–10, 25–30
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Sextus Empiricus, §3.2