Carneades (212–128 BCE)

Born 212 BCE, died 128 BCE.

Carneades (; Greek: Καρνεάδης, Karneadēs, "of Carnea"; 214/3-129/8 BC) was a Greek philosopher, perhaps the most prominent head of the Skeptical Academy in Ancient Greece. He was born in Cyrene. By the time of his embassy to Rome in 155 BC, he was already a leading critic of dogmatic doctrines, especially those of Stoicism and the Epicureans, continuing the critical engagement that his predecessor Arcesilaus had also directed against both schools. As scholarch (leader) of the Academy, he was one of three philosophers sent to Rome in 155 BC where his lectures on the uncertainty of justice caused consternation among leading politicians. He left no writings. His ideas were passed on to us through his successor Clitomachus whose own books were lost but relayed to us indirectly in the writings of Cicero and Sextus Empiricus. He seems to have doubted the ability not just of the senses but of reason too in acquiring truth.

Text from the Wikipedia article Carneades, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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