 Carneades’ defense of probabilism can also be viewed, at least in the first instance, as a natural extension of the Academy’s tradition of dialectical argument, however. The epistemological debate between the Stoa and the Academy extended over many years and was conducted with a great deal of energy and ingenuity on both sides. It tended toward impasse. If the burden of argument fell entirely upon the Academy and the its members were restricted to premises that were strictly implied by Stoic theory, the Academic case was not proven. The Stoics were not required on pain of self-contradiction to accept all the premises the Academics needed. Nonetheless, by rejecting these premises, the Stoics often committed themselves to highly disputable contentions. This mattered to them, because their aim was not simply to vindicate the internal consistency of their system. They claimed that their views were true and uniquely consistent with common conceptions held by all human beings.