Today added to the site is a new article on Epicurus and the ancient skeptics.
Ancient skepticism came in two varieties: the Academic Skepticism of the Platonic tradition, and the more radical Pyrrhonism whose fullest surviving voice is Sextus Empiricus. Epicurus had no patience for either. The Stoics and Platonists at least claimed to know things, so they could be argued with and refuted. The skeptics claimed that knowing things was impossible.
The article explains who the skeptics were, what they taught, and how the two kinds differ. It also explains why the issue matters so much today. The Pyrrhonists used the same word, ataraxia, to describe the goal of their philosophy, and that shared word has helped hide how far apart the two schools really are.
The article can be read at the link below or by opening the "Canonics Analysis" menu in the left navigation sidebar.