Diogenes Laertius's "Life of Pyrrho" and the interpretation of ancient scepticism in the history of Philosophy-Stanley through Brucker to Tennemann

Abstract

A reading of the writings of the mid-eighteenth century historian of philosophy, Jacob Brucker, makes it clear that Diogenes Laertius's of Pyrrho had been read carefully and had been subject to substantial controversy among historians of philosophy and philosophers during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At this time the of Pyrrho was read by certain historians of philosophy in various ways. Stanley probably took the idea of incorporating material from Sextus Empiricus at the end of the chapter from Diogenes Laertius himself, who summarized ten sceptical arguments from Sextus and five from Agrippa. Brucker had separated historical scepticism and scientific scepticism and Socratic sceptical questioning from Pyrrhonian and Academic scepticism, and Pyrrhonian and Academic scepticism from each other.Tennemann's Grundriss der Geschichte der Philosophie gave a tight and clear summary of his position. There he clearly states how scepticism functioned as an integral part of the history of philosophy. Keywords: ancient scepticism; Diogenes Laertius; history of philosophy; Jacob Brucker; Life of Pyrrho; stanley; Tennemann