Just ‘Skeptic’? Critical note to ‘The names of Ancient Skepticism: aporētikoí, ephektikoí, pyrrhōneioi, skeptikoí and zētētikoí’ by Ramón Román Alcalá

Abstract

The history of Pyrrhonism is fragmented and complex, as reflected in the various names applied to its practitioners. Román Alcalá has examined this issue in «The Names of Ancient Skepticism: aporētikoí, ephektikoí, pyrrhōneioi, skeptikoí, and zētētikoí», concluding that the proper and established designation is ‘Skeptic.’ In this note, I offer historiographical, historical, and conceptual considerations that qualify this conclusion. I further argue for the generic use of ‘Skeptic’ to refer to both Academic and Pyrrhonian thinkers, and for the specific use of ‘Pyrrhonist’ to denote the latter. On this basis, I sketch an account of the history of Pyrrhonism that highlights its polynomic character.