AENESIDEMUS

Philosopher from Knossos. He taught in Alexandria and set as his goal to restore academic skepticism, which had then been transformed into eclecticism by Philo of Larissa and Antiochus of Ascalon, to the more authentic teaching of Pyrrho. In the history of ancient skepticism, Aenesidemus holds a special place, due to his attempt to support the need for abstention, that is, to avoid expressing an opinion, since the true nature of things is not known. He moved in this direction by meticulously classifying all the arguments of skepticism into ten modes (or reasons or places, which his student Agrippa limited to five). Aenesidemus' criticism was directed both against the certainty of the senses and against Reason. He denied the possibility of formulating scientific proofs, the direct knowledge of causes and the reduction to them starting from effects (or signs). The interpretation of Heraclitus' philosophy as skeptical, which was dominant in his time, explains why Aenesidus could argue that skepticism is a prerequisite and introduction to Heraclitus' philosophy.