Pyrrho

Lore & Background

He was from Elis, on the Ionian Sea, and likely a member of the Klytidiai, a clan of seers who interpreted the oracles of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, where Pyrrho served as a high priest. His student Timon of Phlius describes first meeting Pyrrho on the grounds of an Amphiareion while both were on a pilgrimage to Delphi. Most biographical information comes from Diogenes Laertius, who drew primarily from the works of mid-third century BC biographer Antigonus of Carystus. Unlike the founders of other Hellenistic philosophies, Pyrrho was not substantively influenced by Socrates. Pyrrho, along with Anaxarchus, traveled with Alexander the Great on his Indian campaign, going as far as the Gymnosophists in India and the Magi in Persia.

Reader's Guide

Pyrrho did not produce any written work; most information on his philosophy comes from his student Timon, preserved in fragments by Sextus Empiricus, Diogenes Laertius, and Eusebius. Little is known for certain about the details of Pyrrho's philosophy and how it may have differed from later Pyrrhonism. Most sources agree that the primary goal of his philosophy was the achievement of ataraxia, brought about by eschewing beliefs about thoughts and perceptions. A summary known as the 'Aristocles passage' quotes Timon: 'The things themselves are equally indifferent, and unstable, and indeterminate, and therefore neither our senses nor our opinions are either true or false.' It is uncertain whether Pyrrhonism was a small but continuous movement in antiquity or whether it died out and was revived. Several centuries after Pyrrho lived, Aenesidemus led a revival. Pyrrhonists view their philosophy as a way of life, aiming to attain ataraxia through epoché (suspension of judgment) by gathering arguments of equal strength on disputed issues. The sources and extent of Indian influences on Pyrrho's philosophy are disputed; some scholars discount substantive Indian influences, while others see probable influence of Indian skepticism.

Did You Know?

• Pyrrho served as a high priest in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
• He traveled with Alexander the Great on his Indian campaign, reaching the Gymnosophists in India and the Magi in Persia.
• Pyrrho did not produce any written work; his philosophy is known mainly through his student Timon.
• The primary goal of Pyrrho's philosophy was the achievement of ataraxia, similar to the Indo-Aryan nirvana.