Ancient Epistemology

de Lloyd Gerson

"Ancient Epistemology explores ancient accounts of the nature of knowledge and belief from the Presocratics up to the Platonists of late antiquity. Professor Gerson argues that ancient philosophers generally held a naturalistic view of knowledge as well as of belief. Hence, knowledge was not viewed as a stipulated or semantically determined type of belief; it was a real or objectively determinable achievement. In fact, its attainment was identical with the highest possible cognitive achievement, namely wisdom. It was this naturalistic view of knowledge at which the ancient sceptics took aim. In the concluding chapter, the ancient naturalistic epistemology is compared with some contemporary versions."--Jacket.