How did Sextus Empiricus challenge dogmatic philosophers?

Sextus Empiricus challenged dogmatic philosophers by employing rigorous argumentative strategies designed to induce epochē (suspension of judgment) regarding any claims to knowledge beyond what is immediately evident. As a leading figure of Pyrrhonism, he sought to undermine the positive assertions of schools like Stoicism and Epicureanism by demonstrating that for every proposition, there exists an equally compelling contradictory one.123

His primary methods included:

• Tropes: He utilized various tropes—such as the 10 tropes of Aenesidemus—to highlight the unreliability of sense information and the variability of human perception.41
• The Problem of the Criterion: Sextus argued that any criterion proposed to distinguish truth from falsehood is either groundless or leads to an infinite regress or circular reasoning.12
• Refutation of Proofs: He systematically attacked syllogistic proofs and speculative knowledge claims.4

Sextus maintained that by abandoning the futile search for absolute truth, one could achieve ataraxia (unperturbability). Rather than becoming inactive, the Pyrrhonist lives undogmatically by following appearances, customs, and natural inclinations.12