Selections from the Major Writings on Scepticism, Man, and God

The volume is organized into three parts. Part One presents selections on Scepticism from Book 1 and Books 2–3 of the Outlines of Pyrrhonism, covering the skeptic's way of life, the modes of suspension, and the critique of the criterion of truth. Part Two, 'On Man,' draws from Against the Logicians, Book 1, addressing the human capacity for knowledge. Part Three, 'On God,' combines material from Outlines Book Three and Against the Physicists Book One, presenting Sextus's arguments concerning the existence and nature of the divine . Hallie's introduction is described as a 'polemical introduction' to classical scepticism, framing the selections for undergraduate readers .

This is a curated selection, not a complete translation. Hallie selected, arranged, and annotated the texts to serve undergraduate courses, and the result was praised by reviewers for being 'judicious in every respect: selection, translation and structuring of the texts, footnotes, bibliography, and index' . The first edition appeared in 1964 from Wesleyan University Press; the revised edition, published by Hackett in 1985, added a foreword and bibliography by Donald R. Morrison . Readers who need Sextus's full arguments, including the extensive sections on the modes and the detailed critiques of causation and motion, should consult complete translations such as those by Bury, Annas and Barnes, or Bett.

The three-part structure reflects the traditional division of philosophy into logic (or epistemology), physics (including anthropology), and theology. Sextus's skepticism is not confined to abstract epistemological puzzles; it is applied to the central questions of human knowledge and religious belief. 'On Man' concerns the cognitive capacities of the human subject—whether man can serve as a criterion of truth. 'On God' concerns the dogmatic proofs for divine existence and attributes, which Sextus subjects to equipollent counter-arguments. The arrangement shows that skepticism, for Sextus, is a comprehensive way of life that engages the most consequential questions, not merely a technical exercise in logic.

The translation is based on the standard Greek text of Sextus, following the manuscript tradition that includes the primary witnesses L (Laurentianus 85.11), E (Parisinus gr. 1964), and N. The edition is intended for students rather than specialists, so it does not include a facing-page Greek text or extensive philological notes. Hallie's introduction and notes provide interpretive guidance. For scholarly precision, readers should consult editions that engage the Greek directly, such as Bett's Cambridge translation of Against the Physicists or the Loeb edition of the Outlines with facing Greek. This volume is best used as an accessible introduction, not as a critical text.

The volume was published during a period of renewed interest in ancient skepticism in Anglophone philosophy, driven by the recognition that Sextus's arguments anticipate and challenge modern epistemological problems. The rediscovery of Sextus in the sixteenth century had triggered the 'Pyrrhonian crisis' that shaped Descartes, Hume, and others, and twentieth-century scholarship returned to Sextus as a source for understanding the skeptical challenge. Hallie's edition made the major writings available in a compact form for a new generation of students. The Hackett revised edition of 1985, with Morrison's updated foreword and bibliography, reflects the continuing vitality of that reception.

The most common error is to treat Sextus as a dogmatic skeptic who asserts that knowledge is impossible. On Sextus's account, the skeptic does not assert any thesis, including the thesis that nothing can be known. He reports that after opposing equal arguments, suspension of judgment follows, and with it tranquility. The skeptic lives by appearances, follows custom, and continues to investigate. This distinction is crucial: if Sextus were asserting the impossibility of knowledge, his position would be self-refuting, and it would be a form of dogmatism. The selections in this volume, particularly those from Outlines Book 1, make this distinction explicit, and Hallie's introduction is designed to prevent the misreading that skepticism is simply negative dogmatism.