•  12
    Cicero on the Philosophy of Religion: On the Nature of the Gods and On Divination by J. P. F. Wynne (review)
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 59 (3): 513-514. 2021.
    This is an outstanding contribution to the study of Cicero's philosophical works. Wynne argues for a nuanced view of De natura deorum and De divinatione as components of Cicero's larger philosophical project, specifically revealing how Greek philosophy might serve to moderate or clarify Roman religion. In an extensive introduction, Wynne lays out his interpretative approach, adding to the growing consensus that these texts are worth reading for more than the reconstruction of lost sources. The f…Read more
  •  17
    Aristotle on Religion (review)
    Philosophical Review 129 (2): 299-302. 2020.
  •  26
    Cicero’s Skepticism and His Recovery of Political Philosophy, written by Walter Nicgorski (review)
    International Journal for the Study of Skepticism 9 (4): 339-344. 2019.
  •  274
    Cicero’s Adaptation of Stoic Psychotherapy
    Annaeus: Anales de la Tradición Romanística 5 171-187. 2008.
    In this paper I explore some ways in which Cicero does not merely report Chrysippus’ view of psychotherapy and mental health in the Tusculan Disputations, but rather adapts them to suit his own Academic and practical purposes. In particular, I argue Cicero is unwilling to wholeheartedly endorse three key Stoic principles: (1) the uniformly rational nature of the mind, (2) the exclusive goodness of virtue, and (3) the possibility of attaining Stoic wisdom. As a result, he allows for greater ethic…Read more
  •  586
    By understanding the sense in which Sextus thinks reason is deceptive we may clarify his attitude towards ordinary life. The deception, like that of the Siren's song, is practical rather than epistemic. It is not a matter of leading us to assent to false or unjustified conclusions but is rather a distraction from, or even corruption of, ordinary life.
  •  13
    Arcesilaus: Socratic Skepticism in Plato's Academy
    Lexicon Philosophicum: Hellenistic Theories of Knowledge. 2018.
    The fundamental issue regarding Arcesilaus’ skepticism is whether it should be understood as a philosophical position or as a strictly dialectical practice with no doctrinal content. In this paper I argue that it is both by providing an account of the epistemic principles informing his practice along with a positive doxastic attitude that he may consistently take towards those principles. I further show how Arcesilaus may have reasonably derived his Socratic project, including the epistemic prin…Read more
  • Carneades
    In Diego E. Machuca & Baron Reed (eds.), Skepticism: From Antiquity to the Present, . pp. 51-66. 2018.
  •  502
    David Furley's work on the cosmologies of classical antiquity is structured around what he calls "two pictures of the world." The first picture, defended by both Plato and Aristotle, portrays the universe, or all that there is (to pan), as identical with our particular ordered world-system. Thus, the adherents of this view claim that the universe is finite and unique. The second system, defended by Leucippus and Democritus, portrays an infinite universe within which our particular kosmos is only…Read more
  •  18
    Cicero: The Philosophy of a Roman Sceptic (review)
    International Journal for the Study of Skepticism 8 (2): 131-136. 2018.
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  •  44
  •  25
    Timon of Phlius (review)
    Ancient Philosophy 32 (1): 213-217. 2012.
  •  86
    Cicero on his academic predecessors: The fallibilism of arcesilaus and carneades
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 40 (1): 1-18. 2002.
    Harald Thorsrud - Cicero on his Academic Predecessors: the Fallibilism of Arcesilaus and Carneades - Journal of the History of Philosophy 40:1 Journal of the History of Philosophy 40.1 1-18 Cicero on his Academic Predecessors: the Fallibilism of Arcesilaus and Carneades Harald Thorsrud IN AN IMPORTANT PAPER, Couissin argued for what has come to be called the dialectical interpretation of Academic skepticism. On this interpretation, Arcesilaus and Carneades practiced the same, purely dialectical …Read more
  •  369
    Arcesilaus and Carneades
    In Richard Arnot Home Bett (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Scepticism, Cambridge University Press. pp. 58-80. 2010.
  •  42
    Cicero’s academic skepticism
    Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2006.
    I distinguish two varieties of ancient skepticism on the basis of their competing attitudes towards reason. Pyrrhonian skeptics, according to Sextus Empiricus, not only doubt our ability to arrive at true beliefs, but also the value of doing so, whereas the Academics, as portrayed by Cicero, are committed to the view that true beliefs are as beneficial as they are difficult to acquire. Next, I examine Academic epistemology, focusing on one of Cicero's most important and problematic philosophical…Read more
  •  28
    Grasp and Dissent: Cicero and Epicurean Philosophy by Stefano Maso (review)
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 54 (4): 675-676. 2016.
    This book will be of considerable interest to those familiar with Hellenistic philosophy generally and with Cicero’s philosophical dialogues in particular. Maso’s close readings of the primary texts produce many valuable insights into Cicero’s philosophical worldview and his complex and nuanced attitude toward Epicurean physics, theology, epistemology, and ethics. One of the central themes of the work is the tempering of Cicero’s devotion to the primacy of the political life. Maso aims to show h…Read more
  •  67
    Ancient Scepticism
    University of California Press. 2009.
    Scepticism, a philosophical tradition that casts doubt on our ability to gain knowledge of the world and suggests suspending judgment in the face of uncertainty, has been influential since its beginnings in ancient Greece. Harald Thorsrud provides an engaging, rigorous introduction to the central themes, arguments, and general concerns of ancient Scepticism, from its beginnings with Pyrrho of Elis to the writings of Sextus Empiricus in the second century A.D. Thorsrud explores the differences am…Read more