Pyrrhonism, Mādhyamaka and the critique of belief
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51359/1982-6850.2024.265246Keywords:
Skepticism, philosophical therapy, appearances, comparative philosophyAbstract
The article explores the parallels in the critique of belief produced by Pyrrhonism and Madhyamika, two schools that emerged in Greece and India, respectively, and are usually associated with skeptical philosophy. The text focuses on analyzing the diagnoses these schools make of the human condition, with belief as the central category of analysis. Similarities are explored in how they define belief, based on an analysis of appearances, the distinction between the evident and the non-evident, and the critique of dogmatism and extreme theses. The article also considers the motivations that led the two schools to emphasize the importance of the critique of belief, considering possible repercussions of its analysis in the context of health and ethics. Finally, the article concludes with the centrality of belief in human experience, as well as the relevance and effectiveness of the diagnoses and methods of the two schools in analyzing the phenomenon and its repercussions on human life.
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