Pyrrhonians, a School of Skeptics

From the Pyrrhonians, who recommended living by appearances, Francis Bacon learned how apparent knowledge is practical. If we can improve how reality appears, we can gain new power over nature. This idea is at the heart of his method of science. Pyrrhonians broke off from the Academy, for the first time forming a school proclaiming skepticism. They had to solve the problem of situational skepticism. Sextus Empiricus refused to endorse or deny any opinion about reality, assenting only to its appearances. Plato’s Academy had been accused of being impractical since they never wholeheartedly recommended a way of life, always doubting their best advice as less than knowledge (being actively fallible.) Pyrrhonians, mostly skeptical medical practitioners, countered that we do not need to follow philosophical opinions because we can live by appearances or how reality seems. If we stop fussing about what is really the case, we may get some ataraxia (peace of mind.) Francis Bacon took advantage of how appearances can be practically useful. He proposed making them even more practical by going beyond them to new knowledge of an underlying reality that gives us new powers over nature.