 Probabilistic skepticism dates back to Arcesilaus who took over the Academy two generations after Plato’s death. This moderate kind of skepticism, recounted by Cicero (Academica 2.74, 1.46) from his days as a student at the Academy, allows for justified belief. Many scientists feel they should only assign probabilities. They dismiss the epistemologist’s preoccupation with knowledge as old-fashioned.