Sporadic philosophers: an Attitude toward Knowledge

Authors

  • Liliana Carolina Sánchez Castro National University of Colombia image/svg+xml

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61378/4h86b063

Keywords:

Diogenes Laertius, Sporadic philosophers, Heraclitus of Ephesus, Xenophanes of Colophon, Sextus Empiricus, Ancient Skepticism

Abstract

Book IX of the Lives of Diogenes Laertius is a must-read for those interested in ancient skepticism. Indeed, it contains the biographies of the founding figures of the skeptical movement, Pyrrho and Timon, which also constitute one of the few extant sources for the study of their thought. However, the focus of this article will not be on these thinkers. What is interesting for my purposes is to investigate the reasons that led Diogenes Laertius to group together a series of personalities in Book IX to link them, in some way, to the Pyrrhonian skeptical tradition. The focus of this text will be, specifically, on a duo of philosophers who inaugurates the book. To do so, I will begin by introducing these thinkers and the reasons why their position at the head of Book IX, with a peculiar appellation, is particularly special. I will then attempt to explain the rationale for this appellation, or rather, what we might understand its use to convey. I will then attempt to connect the content of the appellation with what we know about these thinkers, and finally conclude with a possible explanation of their affiliation with the skeptical tradition.

Author Biography

  • Liliana Carolina Sánchez Castro, National University of Colombia
    Liliana Carolina Sanchez Castro

    PROFESORA ASOCIADA. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departamento de Filosof´ia.

    • Doctorado en Filosofía (Unal 2014)
    • Master en Lettres Classiques – Mention Grec (Paris IV – Sorbonne 2013)
    • Magíster en Filosofía (Unal – 2010)
    • Licenciada en Español y Filología Clásica (Unal - 2006)

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Published

2025-09-15

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025): Dossiê Ceticismos

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Artigos

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