Today our Epicurean introduction to Sextus Empiricus has been greatly expanded.
Many readers meet Sextus's arguments one at a time and take them for an honest search for truth. They are not. Sextus tells us plainly that his arguments are built to come out even, so that the reader gives up deciding anything. Giving up on finding the truth is the Sceptic's goal. For Epicurus, finding the truth about nature is the only road to a happy life.
The introduction shows that Sextus names Epicurus among the Dogmatists he writes against, and that the Letter to Menoeceus is itself a dogmatic document. It explains why the "ataraxia" of Sextus and the "ataraxia" of Epicurus are fundamentally different things built on opposite foundations, though they share a word, in the same way that "gods," "virtue" and "happiness" meant very different things to Epicurus and to his opponents. It also explains why Sextus's surname, "Empiricus," has nothing to do with Epicurus's trust in the senses. Sextus is one of the most dangerous opponents to a proper understanding of Epicurus because he is so easily mistaken for an ally.
The page also continues to serve as a guide to the most important passages where Sextus reports or attacks the views of Epicurus.
The introduction can be read at the link below or from "Secondary Sources," then "Other Ancient Sources," then "Sextus Empiricus" in the left navigation sidebar.
Sextus Empiricus - Introduction and Epicurean Guide
Free PDF. The introduction is also published together with Sextus's complete surviving works in Bury's translation, as a single PDF formatted for reading on tablets and phones. It is available free from archive.org:
Sextus Empiricus - Surviving Works With An Epicurean Introduction (First Edition, October 26, 2026)