Philosophy is Poison, Skepticism is Cure | Tad Brennan on Sextus Empiricus
You know nothing John Bi
PHILOSOPHY IS RUINING YOUR LIFE — this is the surprising conclusion of the legendary philosopher Sextus Empiricus.
Many of us got into philosophy because we hoped it would improve our lives. We think that getting at some kind of foundational truth about the world will finally make us happy. But Sextus Empiricus, one of the great Ancient Skeptics thinks this drive does more harm than good. So often, belief that one has found this capital-T Truth leads to alienation from society, disruption of convention, and living ridiculous lifestyles.
In Sextus’ time some ancient philosophers would kill themselves because they couldn’t solve a logical puzzle. The modern example would be religious terrorism: an unjustified fanaticism because you think you have the capital-T truth.
My guest today is Cornell’s Tad Brennan, a legendary Scholar of Ancient skepticism. And in this interview you are going to learn:
How to cure yourself of philosophy
The alternative path to obtaining happiness and tranquility
And the various methods and master arguments Sextus employed to destroy all the philosophical schools he encountered.
Topics we cover:
01:59 The Core Tenets of Ancient Skepticism
04:33 The Skeptic Philosopher Who Found Peace by Suspending All Judgment
09:49 Why Ancient Skeptics Attacked Other Philosophical Schools
27:04 Why Skeptics Did Not Attack Common Sense Beliefs
59:22 Skepticism Became Tradition's Strongest Ally
1:05:11 The Master Argument that destroyed other philosophical positions
1:18:48 Why Skeptics Achieved Tranquility By Abandoning the Search for Truth
1:32:32 The Crucial Difference Between Sextus’ and Descartes' Skepticism
1:36:53 Is Skepticism Just Intellectual Laziness?
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