ACA 



ACA 



who followed the doctrine of Socrates and 

 Plato, as to the uncertainty of knowledge, 

 and the incomprehensibility of truth. 



Academic, in this sense, amounts to 

 much the same with Platonist ; the differ- 

 ence between them being only in point of 

 time. They who embraced the system of 

 Plato, among the ancients, were called 

 Academici; whereas those who have done 

 the same, since the restoration of learn- 

 ing, have assumed the denomination of 

 Platonists. We usually reckon three sects 

 of Academics ; though some make five. 

 The ancient Academy was that which was 

 founded by Plato, and consisted of those 

 followers ofthis eminent philosopher, who 

 taught the doctrine of their master with- 

 out mixture or corruption. The first of 

 these was Speusippus ; he was succeeded 

 byXenocrates. After his death the direc- 

 tion of the academy devolved upon Pole- 

 mo, and then upon Crates, and terminated 

 with Grantor. After the death of Crates, 

 a new tribe of philosophers arose, who, on 

 account of certain innovations in their 

 manner of philosophising, which in some 

 measure receded from the Platonic sys- 

 tem, without entirely deserting it, have 

 been distinguished by the appellation of 

 the Second, or Middle Academy. The 

 first preceptor who appears in this class, 

 and who, in consequence of the innova- 

 tions which he introduced into the Pla- 

 tonic school, has been commonly consi- 

 dered as the founder of this academy, is 

 Arcesilaus. Before the time of Arcesi- 

 laus, it was never denied, that useful opi- 

 nions may be deduced from the senses. 

 Two sects arose about this time, which 

 threatened the destruction of the Platonic 

 system ; one was founded by Pyrrho, 

 which held the doctrine of universal scep- 

 ticism; and the otherby Zeno,which main- 

 tained the certainty of human knowledge, 

 and taught with great confidence a doc- 

 trine essentially different from that of 

 Plato. In this situation, Arcesilaus thought 

 it necessary to exercise a cautious reserve 

 with regard to the doctrine of his master, 

 and to conceal his opinions from the vul- 

 gar, under the appearance of doubt and 

 uncertainty. Professing to derive his doc- 

 trine concerning the uncertainty of know- 

 ledge from Socrates, Plato, and other 

 philosophers, he maintained, that though 

 there is a real certainty in the nature of 

 things, every thing is uncertain to the hu- 

 man understanding, and consequently that 

 all confident assertions are unreasonable. 

 He thought it disgraceful to assent to any 

 proposition, the truth of which is not fully 

 established; and maintained, that, in ail 



questions, opposite opinions may be sup- 

 ported by arguments of equal weight. 

 He disputed against the testimony of the 

 senses, and the authority of reason ; ac- 

 knowledging, at the same time, that they 

 furnish probable opinions sufficient forthe 

 conduct of life. However, his secret de- 

 sign seems to have been to establish the 

 doctrine of Plato, that the knowledge de- 

 rived from sensible objects is uncertain, 

 and that the only true science is that 

 which is employed upon the immutable 

 objects of intelligence, or ideas. 



After the death of Arcesilaus, the Pla- 

 tonic school was successively under the 

 care of Lacydes,who is said to have found- 

 ed a new school, merely because he 

 changed the place of instruction, and held 

 it in the garden of Attalus, within the li- 

 mits of the Academic grove, and of Evan- 

 der and Egesinus. Arcesilaus, however, 

 had opposed the Stoics, and other dogma- 

 tical philosophcrs,with such violence, and 

 extended his doctrine of uncertainty so 

 far, as to alarm not only the general body 

 of philosnphers,who treated him as a com- 

 mon enemy to philosophy, but even the 

 governors of the state, who apprehended 

 that his opinions would dissolve all the 

 bonds of social virtue and of religion. His 

 successors, therefore, found it difficult to 

 support the credit of the academy; and 

 Carneades, one of the disciples of this 

 school, relinquished, at least in words, 

 some of the more obnoxious tenets of 

 Arcesilaus. 



From this period the Platonic school 

 assumed the appellation of the New Aca- 

 demy, which may be reckoned the third 

 in order from its first establishment. Tt 

 was the doctrine ofthis academy, that the 

 senses, the understanding, and the imagi- 

 nation frequently deceive us, and there- 

 fore cannot be infallible judges of truth ; 

 but that, from the impressions produced 

 on the mind, by means of the senses, call- 

 ed by Carneades phantasies,orim3ges,we 

 infer appearances of truth,or probabilities, 

 These images do not always correspond 

 to the real nature of things, and there is 

 no infallible method of determining when 

 they are true or false ; and consequently 

 they afford no certain criterion of truth. 

 But, with respect to the conduct of life, 

 and the pursuit of happiness, probable 

 appearances are a sufficient guide, be- 

 cause it is unreasonable not to allow some 

 degree of credit to those witnesses who 

 commonly give a true report. 



ACADEMY, in Grecian antiquity, a 

 largo \ U!a in one of the suburbs of Athens, 

 where the sect of philosophers called Aca- 



