# How good is radical skepticism? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466 "2017-03-16T00:49:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![titanomachina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@titanomachina](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/titanomachina)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/1 "2017-03-16T00:49:41Z")
Essentially the claim that nothing can be known and that our senses lie all the time, that reason tends to favor our desires. Some people claim that and say they maintain a matter of suspending judgment on just about everything. > **[Pyrrhonism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhonism)** > > Pyrrhonism is a school of philosophical skepticism founded by Pyrrho in the fourth century BCE. It is best known through the surviving works of Sextus Empiricus, writing in the late second century or early third century CE. > Pyrrho of Elis (c. 360 – c. 270 BCE) and his teacher Anaxarchus, both Democritean philosophers, traveled to India with Alexander the Great's army where Pyrrho was said to have studied with the magi and the gymnosophists, and where he was influenced by Buddhist teachings, most... They call it Pyrrhonism and try to apply that non judging attitude to all of life. It claims that much of strife is based on human belief and opinions. That when we value what is good we suffer if we don’t have it and struggle to hold it when we do, I’m guessing valuing something as bad works the same way. So by maintaining an attitude of permanent indecision you “free your mind” from worry and find tranquility. Seems somewhat like Buddhism and that religion is pretty large. But I have to wonder how sound that is and whether or not it is practical? It has some points to it though, our senses are easily fooled so why believe them? Reason tends to be influenced by our desires and emotions. Can what we get from such things really be called knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![passacaglia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@passacaglia](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/passacaglia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/2 "2017-03-16T04:18:31Z")
It does sound Buddhist, and strictly speaking, it is as close to Truth as philosophy gets. Nothing can be known? Yup, I don’t know with total 100% complete certainty that I am not a brain in a jar. Our senses lie all the time? Yup, innocent people get convicted disturbingly often based on faulty witness perception and memory. Reason tends to favor desire? Yup, ask anyone who’s ever debated a theist. But practically speaking, we can and must make judgments about certain likelihoods. Until Neo unjacks me from the matrix, for example, I need to assume that my memory and environment will not simply be reset if I quit my job, blow all my money on a rad car, and then end my joyride with an Evil Knievel off of the Golden Gate Bridge. This sort of philosophy, like Buddhist philosophy, probably helps certain personality types who have difficulty accepting that some things are simply beyond control or beyond attainment. But for the average Joe…eh. ---
**Author:** ![titanomachina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@titanomachina](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/titanomachina)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 5:21am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/3 "2017-03-16T05:21:03Z")
Well I don’t know if nothing can be known (just saying that is a contradiction). Also our senses are fallible but not wrong all the time, and they can’t prove that. But this philosophy doesn’t help anyone it seems to me, it sounds like a one way trip to madness. You cannot live life without judgment and constantly questioning EVERYTHING will drive you mad. Also it does seem very impractical. But you don’t need this to yeah someone that some things you’ll never know and some things are beyond us. Except this says EVERYTHING is beyond us, not some. ---
**Author:** ![citizenschallengev3](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/citizenschallengev3/32/17_2.png) [@citizenschallengev3](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/citizenschallengev3)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/4 "2017-03-16T13:43:34Z")
I knew a guy who went by “Pyrrho” proud chap he was too. Unfortunately he seemed to embrace skepticism for skepticism sake. After years of dealing with him he just seem sillier and sillier till I came to realize he was actually idiot. I did learn one valuable lesson form the joker: **Unidirectional skepticism equals denial.** The world is real, even if beyond our grasp to fully comprehend. Let it Be. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![titanomachina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@titanomachina](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/titanomachina)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/5 "2017-03-16T18:23:37Z")
It just seems more like paralysis to me. You can’t function everyday if you question everything at all times. ---
**Author:** ![loisl](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/loisl/32/18_2.png) [@loisl](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/loisl)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/6 "2017-03-16T22:41:09Z")
> It just seems more like paralysis to me. You can't function everyday if you question everything at all times. You also can't function well if you don't question most things. As with everything it takes intelligence to know what to question and what to put aside for another day. IMO most people question too little and accept too many things at face value. That's why we get politicians like Trump. Lois ---
**Author:** ![lausten](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/lausten/32/23705_2.png) [@lausten](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/lausten)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:16am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/7 "2017-03-17T11:16:20Z")
> It just seems more like paralysis to me. You can't function everyday if you question everything at all times. I think we've been over this. David Hume had this problem too. His solution was to basically ignore the problem, that is, not a solution at all. I don't know if there really is an a solution, but you can work against the problem by building your confidence level about what is true, using evidence. ---
**Author:** ![citizenschallengev3](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/citizenschallengev3/32/17_2.png) [@citizenschallengev3](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/citizenschallengev3)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/8 "2017-03-17T13:45:37Z")
> It just seems more like paralysis to me. You can't function everyday if you question everything at all times. I think we've been over this. David Hume had this problem too. His solution was to basically ignore the problem, that is, not a solution at all. I don't know if there really is an a solution, but you can work against the problem by building your confidence level about what is true, using evidence.You mean like a life time worth of observing and learning and gaining experiences? :) ---
**Author:** ![titanomachina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@titanomachina](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/titanomachina)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/how-good-is-radical-skepticism/5466/9 "2017-03-17T20:13:42Z")
> It just seems more like paralysis to me. You can't function everyday if you question everything at all times. I think we've been over this. David Hume had this problem too. His solution was to basically ignore the problem, that is, not a solution at all. I don't know if there really is an a solution, but you can work against the problem by building your confidence level about what is true, using evidence. I think "ignoring the problem" is one of those things they teach that doesn't work, because ignoring something in your mind just makes it stronger. Kind of like saying "don't think about something". Also the proponents of pyrrohnism say that by not having any judgments (ataxia) that one achieves a tranquility and an unperturbed mind as a result. Granted I find that to be very doubtful