 The truly philosophical approach is thus one that refuses to take any philosophical view as settled – including this very one (see section 7.1 below). Cicero thereby sets himself against the approach of the contemporary ‘dogmatic’ schools – in particular, Epicureanism and Stoicism – where dogmatism refers not to positions that are unargued for, but to doctrines regarded by their advocates as settled truth. Cicero’s stance is not one that pits itself primarily against specific doctrines of these schools – the sceptic is entitled to adopt any view as plausible. Rather, what he opposes is a conception of intellectual endeavour as capable of arriving at certainty. The best philosophy is one that fosters critical enquiry; and the nature and role of philosophy must, by the same token, itself be in the critical spotlight.