Pyrrho’s Thought
A brief passage that derives ultimately from the lost dialogue Pythō “Python” by Timon of Phlius is considered the single most important testimony for the thought of his teacher, Pyrrho. Because it is preserved in a chapter of a history of philosophy by Aristocles of Messene, it is generally known as “the Aristocles passage.” The subject of Pyrrho's entire declaration is pragmata, which is translated as “ethical things, matters (etc.).” For Pyrrho, pragmata are always and only ethical “topics, questions, matters, affairs” which people dispute or try to interpret with antilogies—opposed choices such as Good: Bad, or True: False. This chapter examines Pyrrh's declaration section by section.