Protagoras: the Pioneer of Relativism or Pyrrhonian Skepticism?

Document Type : Research Paper

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Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

10.22091/jptr.2024.10816.3071

Abstract

Protagoras often has been considered as a relativist because he believed that man is the measure of all things (MM). This paper aims to show that focusing on MM and ignoring his other claims, which should be taken as epistemologically important as MM, has been at the bottom of this interpreation. First, in order to weaken the relativistic account, it has been shown that the only interpretation of MM is not a relativistic one. Then, focusing on the other epistemological fragments attributed to Protagoras, it has been claimed that skeptical interpretation is a more consistent reading of Protagoras, since MM can be read as a skeptical fragment but the others cannot be interpreted as relativistic slogans. The most important of these fragments which we call Protagorean epochē (PE) is doubting about being and essence of gods in a Sextan conceptual framework. Furthermore, according to this interpretation, MM is the general form of Ten Modes of Aenesidemean skeptical arguments. So it leas to suspension of judgment instead of relativism.

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Journal of Philosophical Theological Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 08 September 2024

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