Cicero's Academic Skepticism and the Art of Probabilia: A Philosophical Essay
In an article for Aeon, the writer delves into the significance of Academic Skepticism, a philosophical stance articulated by Marcus Tullius Cicero in the first century BCE. Composed in early 45 BCE, Cicero's work, Academica, outlines a framework for measured belief. This methodology is derived from the New Academy, spearheaded by Arcesilaus and Carneades, who proposed the concept of pithanon, which Cicero referred to as probabilia. Unlike their Pyrrhonian counterparts, Academic Skeptics tentatively accept assertions. The piece examines modern challenges such as science denialism and scientism, highlighting Cicero's application of probabilia during his political endeavors, including the Catilinarian conspiracy of 63 BCE. It also relates to Bayesian probability and emphasizes three crucial domains for Academic Skepticism: science, democracy, and personal identity.
Key facts
- Cicero wrote the Academica in early 45 BCE at a villa near Lucrine Lake, northwest of Naples, in southern Italy.
- The Academica explains Academic Skepticism, a philosophy Cicero adopted from the New Academy founded by Plato and developed by Arcesilaus and Carneades.
- Carneades introduced the Greek concept of the pithanon (the persuasive/plausible), which Cicero translated into Latin as probabilia.
- Cicero applied Academic Skepticism during his consulship in 63 BCE when he faced the Catilinarian conspiracy led by Lucius Sergius Catilina.
- Cicero was murdered on 7 December 43 BCE by a legionnaire sent by Mark Antony, after writing the Philippics against Antony.
- The essay contrasts Academic Skepticism with Pyrrhonism, noting differences in assent, ranking of impressions, and goals (truth vs. ataraxia).
- The author links Cicero's probabilia to modern Bayesian probability, Thomas Kuhn's paradigm shifts, and Imre Lakatos's research programmes.
- The essay identifies three contemporary applications: science (organized skepticism), democracy (willingness to be persuaded), and personal identity (against fixed identity).
Entities
Artists
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Julius Caesar
- Terentia
- Tullia
- Philo of Larissa
- Arcesilaus
- Carneades
- Lucius Sergius Catilina
- Cato the Younger
- Mark Antony
- Octavian
- Augustus
- Atticus
- Thomas Kuhn
- Imre Lakatos
- Thomas Bayes
- Robert K Merton
- Simone de Beauvoir
- Carl Sagan
Institutions
- Platonic Academy
- New Academy
- Roman Senate
- Aeon
Locations
- Lucrine Lake
- Naples
- Italy
- Rome
- Athens
- Greece