• Back to Profile
    •  

     


    昔者庄周梦为蝴蝶，栩栩然蝴蝶也。自喻适志与！不知周也。俄然觉，则蘧蘧然周也。不知周之梦为蝴蝶与？蝴蝶之梦为周与？周与蝴蝶则必有分矣。此之谓物化。
    - The 'Equivalence of Things' (齐物论) chapter of the Zhuangzi (庄子) (c. 3rd c. B.C.E.)



    Once upon a time I, Zhuang Zhou (庄周), dreamt I was a butterfly.
    Flapping my wings in true butterfly fashion, I was happy as could be, and I knew nothing of any person named Zhuang Zhou.
    But suddenly I awakened, astonished to be Zhuang Zhou.
    I still don't know whether as Zhuang Zhou I was dreaming I was a butterfly or whether as a butterfly I was dreaming I was Zhuang Zhou.
    There ought to be a difference between Zhuang Zhou and a butterfly, but this is called the transformation of things.
    - David K. Jordan translation (adapted)

     

     

     

     

    Agrippa's Trilemma

    Sextus Empiricus
    (c. 160-210 C.E.)

    Skepsis is the Greek word for 'investigation'


    1. Sextus Empiricus (c. 160-210 C.E.) was a Pyrrhonian skeptic, of whom we have extensive surviving writings

    1. In Outlines of Scepticism, Sextus relies on the 10 modes of Aenesidemus and the 5 modes of Agrippa

    The 10 modes of Aenesidemus The 5 modes of Agrippa
    MODE 1: Other animals perceive things differently from humans MODE 1: Undecidable dispute
    MODE 2: One human perceives things differently from another
    MODE 3: Different sense-organs may deliver different appearances in a single human MODE 2: Hypothesis or unsupported assertion
    MODE 4: Different circumstances (or conditions) may deliver different appearances
    MODE 5: Variations in positions, intervals, and places MODE 3: Infinite regress
    MODE 6: Differing admixtures
    MODE 7: Differing quantities and preparations of existing things MODE 4: Circularity
    MODE 8: Relativity
    MODE 9: Variations in frequency of encounters (frequent or rare) MODE 5: Relativity
    MODE 10: Variations in persuasions, customs, laws, belief in myths, and dogmatic suppositions

    1. These modes amount to arguments that make it absolutely necessary for us to suspend judgment with respect to any proposition φ

    Dogmatist


    Skeptic


    Dogmatist


    Skeptic

    1. MODE 1: Undecidable dispute
    2. A matter under discussion is either decidable or undecidable
    3. If the matter is decidable, then the skeptic will demand justification

    5. If the matter is decidable, then there are only 3 possible OUTCOMES (associated with 3 MODES):
      1. 1st OUTCOME: The dogmatist (or skeptic's opponent) arrives at an arbitrary proposition that is claimed not to require any justification beyond itself
      2. This is associated with MODE 2 (Hypothesis or unsupported assertion)

      MODE 2 (Hypothesis) & 1st horn of Agrippa's trilemma

      1. 2nd OUTCOME: The dogmatist's chain of justification never ends
      2. This is associated with MODE 3 (Infinite regress)

      MODE 3 (Infinite regress) & 2nd horn of Agrippa's trilemma


      2. 3rd OUTCOME: The process of justification eventually relies on a proposition that was already employed earlier on
      3. This is associated with MODE 4 (Circularity)

      MODE 4 (Circularity) & 3rd horn of Agrippa's trilemma

      1. Each of these 3 OUTCOMES is associated with a horn of Agrippa's trilemma
      2. Each of these 3 horns of Agrippa's trilemma induces a suspension of judgment


    1. Argumentative representation of Agrippa's trilemma (Comesaña & Klein, 2019):
    2. P1: If a belief is justified, then it is either a basic justified belief or an inferentially justified belief.
    3. P2: There are no basic justified beliefs.
    4. C1/P3: ∴ If a belief is justified, then it is justified in virtue of being part of an inferential chain.
    5. P4: All inferential chains are such that either they contain an infinite number of beliefs, they contain circles, or they contain beliefs that are not justified.
    6. P5: No belief is justified in vitue of belonging to an inferential chain that contains unjustified beliefs.
    7. P6: No belief is justified in virtue of belonging to an infinite inferential chain.
    8. P7: No belief is justified in virtue of belonging to a circular inferential chain.
    9. C2: ∴ There are no justified beliefs.

    11. P5 is associated with MODE 2 (Hypothesis)
    12. P6 is associated with MODE 3 (Infinite regress)
    13. P7 is associated with MODE 4 (Circularity)
    14. Agrippa's trilemma motivates the conclusion C2 in favour of there being no justified beliefs
     

     

    Background image taken from: https://cdn.asiatatler.com/asiatatler/i/th/2020/02/04101225-aurora-1185464-1920_cover_1920x1280.jpg This website has been coded using html, css, and js and is dedicated to B and H .