Pyrrho of Elis (c.365–c.270 B.C.), Greek philosopher, regarded as the founder of Skepticism. Like Socrates, he wrote nothing, but impressed many with provocative ideas and calm demeanor. His equanimity was admired by Epicurus; his attitude of indifference influenced early Stoicism; his attack on knowledge was taken over by the skeptical Academy; and two centuries later, a revival of Skepticism adopted his name. Many of his ideas were anticipated by earlier thinkers, notably Democritus. But in denying the veracity of all sensations and beliefs, Pyrrho carried doubt to new and radical extremes. According to ancient anecdote, which presents him as highly eccentric, he paid so little heed to normal sensibilities that friends often had to rescue him from grave danger; some nonetheless insisted he lived into his nineties. He is also said to have emulated the ‘naked teachers’ (as the Hindu Brahmans were called by Greeks) whom he met while traveling in the entourage of Alexander the Great. Pyrrho’s chief exponent and publicist was Timon of Phlius (c.325–c.235 B.C.). His bestpreserved work, the Silloi (‘Lampoons’), is a parody in Homeric epic verse that mocks the pretensions of numerous philosophers on an imaginary visit to the underworld. According to Timon, Pyrrho was a ‘negative dogmatist’ who affirmed that knowledge is impossible, not because our cognitive apparatus is flawed, but because the world is fundamentally indeterminate: things themselves are ‘no more’ cold than hot, or good than bad. But Timon makes clear that the key to Pyrrho’s Skepticism, and a major source of his impact, was the ethical goal he sought to achieve: by training himself to disregard all perception and values, he hoped to attain mental tranquility. See also ACADEMY , DEMOCRITUS , EPICURE – ANISM , SKEPTICS , STOICIS. S.A.W.