page_title: Philosophical skepticism
section_title: Augustine on skepticism
hierarchical_section_title: Philosophical skepticism / History of Western skepticism / Ancient Greek skepticism / Augustine on skepticism
caption_attribution_description: Augustine of Hippo
context_page_description: Philosophical skepticism is a family of philosophical views that question the possibility of knowledge or certainty. Philosophical skeptics are often classified into two general categories: Those who deny of possibility of all knowledge, and those who advocate for the suspension of judgement due to the inadequacy of evidence. This is modeled after the differences between the Academic skeptics and the Pyrrhonian skeptics in ancient Greek philosophy.
context_section_description: In 386 CE, Augustine published Contra Academicos (Against the Academic Skeptics), which argued against claims made by the Academic Skeptics (266 BCE – 90 BCE) on the following grounds:  
  Objection from Error: Through logic, Augustine argues that philosophical skepticism does not lead to happiness like the Academic Skeptics claim. His arguments is summarized as:
  A wise man lives according to reason, and thus is able to be happy.
  One who is searching for knowledge but never finds it is in error.
  Imperfection objection: People in error are not happy, because being in error is an imperfection, and people cannot be happy with an imperfection.
  Conclusion: One who is still seeking knowledge cannot be happy.
  Error of Non-Assent: Augustine's argument that suspending belief does not fully prevent one from error. His argument is summarized below.
  Introduction of the error: Let P be true. If a person fails to believe P due to suspension of belief in order to avoid error, the person is also committing an error.
  The Anecdote of the Two Travelers: Travelers A and B are trying to reach the same destination. At a fork in the road, a poor shepherd tells them to go left. Traveler A immediately believes him and reaches the correct destination. Traveler B suspends belief, instead believing in the advice of a well-dressed townsman to go right, because his advice seems more persuasive. However, the townsman is actually a samardocus (con man) so Traveler B never reaches the correct destination.
  The Anecdote of the Adulterer: A man suspends belief that adultery is bad, and commits adultery with another man's wife because it is persuasive to him. Under Academic Skepticism, this man cannot be charged because he acted on what was persuasive to him without assenting belief.
  Conclusion: Suspending belief exposes individuals to an error as defined by the Academic Skeptics.
caption: Augustine of Hippo
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