Sextus Empiricus on the Impossibility of Attaining Truth through Human Judgment
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Themes
Sextus Empiricus, Pyrrhonian Outlines, skepticism, human perception, truth, judgment, circumstances, emotions, individual experiences
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Abstract
In this excerpt from the Outlines of Pyrrhonism, Sextus Empiricus questions human perception and the possibility of attaining truth through judgment. He argues that circumstances, emotions, and individual experiences alter our perception of reality, making it impossible to claim absolute truth. This text challenges readers to consider the limitations of human observation and the importance of skepticism in understanding the world.
Extract
[...] 2and Part According to Sextus Empiricus, considering that circumstances alter our judgment implies that itit will not be . easy to pronounce what the real object may be. In fact, the thesis he defends implies the impossibility of a knowledge that would exist a priori. All a priori knowledge would then be in the false, due to the fallibility of the senses. He does not claim that it is impossible topronounce what the real object may be. In fact, he emphasizes that this task will not be 'easy'. [...]
[...] He illustrates the same idea by evoking the different sensations felt when entering a heated apartment with a bath, or when leaving it. Through these 2 illustrations, Sextus Empiricus shows that human sensations are only relative to the situation in which man finds himself. It is then the circumstances that will determine what man will feel. Thus, he affirms that « Confidence and fear give different ideas of things (Sextus Empiricus). In other words, circumstances can extend to the feelings shared by an individual when an individual forms an idea of a thing, that is, when he expresses a judgment on what he observes or feels. [...]
[...] That is to say, he only sees reality under certain circumstances that modify his judgment. His judgment is therefore not reliable in determining what the object really is. Therefore, since the truth cannot be achieved by man, this implies that his judgment is to be rejected. 3and Part Sextus Empiricus begins his third part by emphasizing that man cannot be an impeccable judge, due to the alteration of his judgment by circumstances in which man finds himself, by his emotions, and by his general state. [...]
[...] The challenge of the excerpt lies in the skepticism that should be prioritized in order to observe the world, particularly the need to always take into account the situations and circumstances. In order to extract the argumentation of the text, we will study it in three parts. Firstly, Sextus Empiricus begins his proposal with the example of wine, which allows him to illustrate his thesis: sensation depends on circumstances. (Lines 1 to 9). Secondly, he highlights that this translates into an impossibility of attaining the truth. [...]
[...] Therefore, the judgment that a subject expresses towards an object it observes largely depends on its sensations, and therefore on the circumstances in which it finds itself. So, the judgment is altered by this mechanism. It is then impossible to claim to possess the truth about what an object is in reality compared to what one has observed of it: there are as many perceptions of this object as there are men. The truth is not unattainable, but the process by which man can reach it is arduous. [...]
