Ancient Scepticism. By Harald Thorsrud. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2009. Pp. 248 + xvi. ISBN: 978-0-520-26026-9.

It is a very difficult task to write a comprehensive account of ancient Scepticism. On the one hand, this is because there is in fact no such thing as ancient Scepticism as a unified philosophical movement. The term “ancient Scepticism” refers to the period of several centuries, during which the ideas of two sceptical schools—Pyrrhonism and Academic Scepticism—underwent modifications and developments that are not easily traceable. Moreover, the differences and mutual influence between the Pyrrhonists and the Academics are very complicated and in some important respects obscure. On the other hand, the ancient Sceptics’ views on what Scepticism is and