(Un)orthodox Scepticism: The Reception of Sextus Empiricus' Pyrrhonism in the Examen vanitatis (1520) of Gianfrancesco Pico della Mirandola
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2017-08-02
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en
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In his Examen vanitatis (1520), Gianfrancesco Pico della Mirandola argues that pagan thought is inferior to and incompatible with the reigning Christian doctrine. Yet despite this, Pico borrows heavily from the arguments of the pagan thinker Sextus Empiricus, who opposed the various dogmata of other ancient philosophers.
Previous scholars have analyzed the presence of scepticism in the Examen vanitatis with a tradition-oriented approach. I seek to broaden and nuance this question by analyzing the Examen vanitatis from the perspective of reception studies.
Ultimately, the thesis shows that the anti-philosophical Pico and the sceptical Sextus make for uneasy allies. Pico is interested in the part of scepticism that revolves around opposing dogmatic philosophy, since his faith stands in opposition to the same. However, because Pico designates any enquiry not in service of God as sinful, he must also distance himself from the original goals of scepticism.
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Faculteit der Letteren