Sažetak

The main topic of this thesis is Epicurean and Stoic epistemology; namely, their defining the criteria of truth, and a comparison of their conception of the criterion of truth. The aim of this thesis is to give an account of how Epicurean and Stoic epistemological inquiries are responsible for an epistemological turn—a shift from trying to define knowledge to discovering whether knowledge is even possible. As they have similar starting points of inquiry, both the Stoics and the Epicureans propose similar criteria of truth. For Epicurus the criteria of truth are sensations, preconceptions, and feelings; for the Stoics, on the other hand, the criteria of truth are cataleptic impressions. Earlier Stoics also proposed preconceptions and cognition as criteria, as well. The main part of the thesis is a comparison of their concepts of the criterion of truth. Whereas Epicurus used the term as the means of gaining knowledge of what is non-evident, the Stoics used it as the means of gaining knowledge of what is evident.