Arcesilao di Pitane e il problema gnoseologico

This article examines Arcesilaus’ pivotal role in steering the Platonic Academy toward a radical form of skepticism that reshaped its epistemological orientation. By challenging the Stoic notion of the kataleptic phantasia as a criterion of truth, Arcesilaus argues for the impossibility of securing certain knowledge due to the indistinguishability between true and false representations. The study reconstructs the philosophical, historical, and dialectical factors behind this shift, including possible influences from Pyrrhonism and the Academy’s competition with emerging Hellenistic schools. Special attention is given to the doctrinal status of epoché and the practical criterion of the eulogon, introduced to counter the Stoic charge of apraxia. The analysis highlights how Arcesilaus redefined Socratic inquiry into a methodological suspension of judgment, establishing skepticism as the core of Academic philosophy.