The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Academics

ACADEMICS, a name given to a series of philosophers who taught in the Athenian Academy, the scene of Plato's discourses. They are commonly divided into three sects: (1) The Old Academy, of which Plato was the immediate founder, was represented successively by Speusippus, Xenocrates and Polemon. (2) To them succeeded Arcesilaus, the founder of the Middle Academy. Under his hands the Platonic method assumed an almost exclusively polemical character. His main object was to refute the Stoics, who maintained a doctrine of perception identical with that promulgated by Dr. Reid in the 18th century. Socrates is said to have professed that all he knew was that he knew nothing. Arcesilaus denied that he knew even this. Wisdom he made to consist in absolute suspension of assent; virtue, in the probable estimate of consequences. He was succeeded by Lacydes, Telecles, Evander and Hegesinus. (3) The New Academy claims Carneades as its founder. His system is a species of mitigated scepticism. He was succeeded by his disciple, Clitomachus. Charmides, the third and last of the new academicians, appears to have been little more than a teacher of rhetoric.