Ideas from 'fragments/reports' by Agrippa [60], by Theme Structure

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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 9. Limits of Reason

1815	Reasoning needs arbitrary faith in preliminary hypotheses (Mode 14)

			Full Idea: Fourteenth mode: reasoning requires arbitrary faith in preliminary hypotheses.
			From: report of Agrippa (fragments/reports [c.60]) by Diogenes Laertius - Lives of Eminent Philosophers 09.Py.10

1812	All discussion is full of uncertainty and contradiction (Mode 11)

			Full Idea: Eleventh mode: all topics of discussion are full of uncertainty and contradiction.
			From: report of Agrippa (fragments/reports [c.60]) by Diogenes Laertius - Lives of Eminent Philosophers 09.Py.10

1813	All reasoning endlessly leads to further reasoning (Mode 12)

			Full Idea: Twelfth mode: all reasoning leads on to further reasoning, and this process goes on forever.
			From: report of Agrippa (fragments/reports [c.60]) by Diogenes Laertius - Lives of Eminent Philosophers 09.Py.10

1811	Proofs often presuppose the thing to be proved (Mode 15)

			Full Idea: Fifteenth mode: proofs often presuppose the thing to be proved.
			From: report of Agrippa (fragments/reports [c.60]) by Diogenes Laertius - Lives of Eminent Philosophers 09.Py.10

13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 2. Justification Challenges / a. Agrippa's trilemma

8850	Agrippa's Trilemma: justification is infinite, or ends arbitrarily, or is circular

			Full Idea: Agrippa's Trilemma offers three possible outcomes for a regress of justification: the chain goes on for ever (infinite); or the chain stops at an unjustified proposition (arbitrary); or the chain eventually includes the original proposition (circular).
			From: report of Agrippa (fragments/reports [c.60], §2) by Michael Williams - Without Immediate Justification §2
			A reaction: This summarises Ideas 1911, 1913 and 1914. Agrippa's Trilemma is now a standard starting point for modern discussions of foundations. Personally I reject 2, and am torn between 1 (+ social consensus) and 3 (with a benign, coherent circle).

13. Knowledge Criteria / E. Relativism / 1. Relativism

1814	Everything is perceived in relation to another thing (Mode 13)

			Full Idea: Thirteenth mode: everything is always perceived in relation to something else.
			From: report of Agrippa (fragments/reports [c.60]) by Diogenes Laertius - Lives of Eminent Philosophers 09.Py.10