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Ideas of Aenesidemus, by Text

[Greek, 100 - 30 BCE, Born at Aigai, in Macedonia. Studied at the Academy in Athens. Lived and died in Alexandria.]

60BCE Pyrrhonian Arguments (frags)
Bk 8 p.184 There is no universal goal to human life
     Full Idea: Aenesidemus does not allow either happiness or pleasure or prudence or any other goal held by anyone on the basis of philosophical doctrine as the goal of life; rather, he says that there just is no such thing as a goal which is recognised by all people.
     From: report of Aenesidemus (Pyrrhonian Arguments (frags) [c.60 BCE], Bk 8) by 'Photius Bibliotheca' - Aenesidimus (frags) 170b
     A reaction: This is probably the dominant modern (post-Darwinian, existentialist) view. Personally I am sympathetic to the Aristotelian view that (to some extent) appropriate goals for life can be inferred from a fairly stable human nature.