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person~320–230 BCE

Timon of Phlius

Disciplines:
philosophy
poetry
skepticism
philosophy/pyrrhonism

Summary

Greek skeptical philosopher who was Pyrrho of Elis's disciple and wrote the Silloi — satirical hexameters mocking all dogmatic philosophers — and the Indalmoi, both primary sources for ancient Pyrrhonism.

Core Contribution

Preserved and transmitted Pyrrho's radical skepticism — ataraxia (tranquility) follows from epochē (suspension of judgment) — and the satirical Silloi demonstrate that skepticism produces not nihilism but a kind of liberated laughter at philosophical pretension.

Historical Influences

Pyrrho of Elis

Intellectual Lineage

PhliusMegaraPyrrho of Elis

Contemporaries & Peers

Pyrrho Zeno of Citium

Minds Influenced

Sextus Empiricus Jonathan Bi

Intellectual Posterity

SilloiPyrrhonism transmissionAncient skepticism

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Timon of Phlius

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