Academic Scepticism 279
for example, high temperature, quickened pulse, soreness of touch, a
rash, thirst, and the like, so the Academic makes the judgement about
the truth on the basis of a combination of presentations, and when no
one of these [strikes] him as controverted [and so] false, he states that
the [impression] he receives is true. 180. And that the uncontrovertability
resides in a combination that produces trustworthiness is clear from the
case of Menelaus; for leaving behind on board the ship the apparition
of Helen which he brought from Troy, thinking it really was Helen, and
landing on the island of Pharos, he saw the real Helen and though he
received from her a true presentation, nevertheless he did not trust this
presentation, because of its being controverted by another, according to
which he understood that he had left Helen on board the ship. 181. The
uncontroverted presentation is then this sort of thing. It seems to admit
of some degree of variation, because of the fact that one presentation is
found to be more uncontrovertable than another.
The presentation which produces judgement is most perfect and more
trustworthy than the uncontroverted presentation; this is [the presenta-
tion] which, along with being uncontroverted, is thoroughly tested. 182.
What the character of this is should be explained next. In the case of
the uncontroverted presentation, the only thing sought for is that no one
of the combination of presentations should [strike us as] controverted
[and so] false, but only that they should all appear to be true and not
implausible. But in the case of a combination which is thoroughly tested,
we scrutinize diligently each of the presentations in the combination,
which is just what occurs in assemblies, whenever the people examine
each would-be official or judge to see if he is worthy of being entrusted
with the office or with the task of judging. 183. For example, at the place
of judgement there is the one who judges, the thing judged, the medium
in which judgement occurs, [i.e.,] distance, interval, place, time, manner,
disposition, and activity, and we discern precisely the particular character
of each of this sort of thing. [Thus, we discern] whether the one judging
has defective vision, for this would make his judgement defective; whether
the thing judged is not excessively small; whether the medium of judge-
ment is an atmosphere that is not murky; whether the distance from the
thing judged is not too great; whether the interval is not disorienting;
whether the place is not vast; whether the time is not brief; whether the
disposition [of the subject] is not observed to be lunatic; whether the
activity is not unacceptable.
- All these together constitute one criterion, the plausible presenta-
tion, the simultaneously plausible and uncontroverted presentation, and
the plausible, uncontroverted, and thoroughly tested presentation. And it
is for this reason that just as in daily living, whenever we are investigating a