Philosopher Profiles

The father of radical skepticism, in his Outlines of Pyrrhonism Sextus gave birth (which was not easy being the aforementioned father) to the question that all philosophers have ever since dreaded: “What if we don't have even the slightest idea what we are talking about?” As such, most philosophers today can remember, when they were growing up, asking their parents to look under the bed and in the closet for the ‘Sextus-Monster’.

The stated psychological plus of Sextus' Pyrrhonism is “the peace of mind that comes from withholding judgment”. As such, Pyrrhonism has experienced at best a slow growth in popularity; few of its advocates are strongly committed to advocating their position. Sadly, most Pyrrhonism conferences consist primarily of wall-watching sessions, followed by a 3M (Mindless, Melancholy, and Meandering) workshop and shuffle-board.

Sextus Empiricus fun facts:

The Beatles song ‘Sexy Sadie’ was originally, and perhaps more fittingly, entitled ‘Sexy Sextus’, which indeed gives new meaning to the lyrics: “Sexy Sextus, what have you done? You've made a fool of everyone.”

Some of the more spiritually minded philosophers have theorized that the disembodied spirit of Sextus Empiricus still roams the material realm. In fact, most think that in the late 1970s and early 1980s Sextus found a suitable host in the person of Peter Unger, giving him unnatural skeptical abilities during that time period.

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