Sextus Empiricus: General Principles 313
evident things or to express preferences regarding non-evident things on
the basis of trustworthiness.
- Those of the new Academy, even though they hold all things to
be ungraspable, probably differ from the sceptics in the very fact of their
saying that all things are ungraspable. For they commit themselves to
this, whereas the sceptics allow that it is possible for something to be
grasped. But they also differ from us clearly in their judgement about
things good or bad. For the Academics do not say that something is good
or bad in the way that we do, but rather with the conviction that it is
more plausible that what they say is good is [so] rather than the opposite,
and similarly for what is bad. On the other hand, when we say that
something is good or bad, we do not do so with a belief that what we
say is plausible, but rather follow a way of life undogmatically so that
we should not be inactive. 227. We say that presentations are equal in
plausibility or implausibility as far as concerns the essence; whereas they
say that some are plausible and some are not.
And they make distinctions among plausible [presentations]. They
regard some as simply plausible; some as plausible and tested; and others
as plausible, thoroughly tested and uncontroverted. For example, when
one suddenly enters a darkened room wherein is lying a coiled-up rope,
it is simply plausible that the presentation coming from this is as if it
were that from a snake, 228. but to the man who has looked carefully
and thoroughly tested the circumstances, for example, by ascertaining
that it does not move, that its colour is of a certain sort, and so on, it
appears to be a rope according to the plausible and tested presentation.
An example of an uncontroverted presentation is this. It is said that
Heracles brought Alcestis back from Hades when she was dead and
showed her to Admetus who received a plausible and thoroughly tested
presentation of Alcestis. But since he knew that she was dead, his intellect
recoiled from assent and inclined to disbelief. 229. So those of the new
Academy prefer a thoroughly tested and plausible presentation to a simply
plausible one and an uncontroverted, thoroughly tested and plausible
one to either of the other two.
And even though followers of the Academic philosophy and followers
of the sceptical philosophy both say that they are persuaded by certain
things, it is self-evident that there is a difference between the two in the
respect in which they do this. 230. For the words "to be persuaded"
have different meanings; one of these means not resisting but simply
following without considerable inclination or positive response as a boy
is said to obey his chaperon; but at the same time the words may also
mean assenting with a deliberate intention and something like enthusiasm,
on the basis of excessive desire, as the dissolute man is persuaded by