The Specter Of Skepticism In The Age Of Enlightenment
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The Specter Of Skepticism In The Age Of Enlightenment
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Author : Anton M. Matytsin
language : en
Publisher: JHU Press
Release Date : 2016-10-26
The Specter Of Skepticism In The Age Of Enlightenment written by Anton M. Matytsin and has been published by JHU Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-10-26 with History categories.
Enlightenment confidence in the power of human reason was earned by grappling with the challenge of philosophical skepticism. The ancient Greek philosophy of Pyrrhonian skepticism spread across a wide spectrum of disciplines in the 1600s, casting a shadow over the European learned world. The early modern skeptics expressed doubt concerning the existence of an objective reality independent of human perception. They also questioned long-standing philosophical assumptions and, at times, undermined the foundations of political, moral, and religious authorities. How did eighteenth-century scholars overcome this skeptical crisis of confidence to usher in the so-called Age of Reason? In The Specter of Skepticism in the Age of Enlightenment, Anton Matytsin describes how skeptical rhetoric forced philosophers to formulate the principles and assumptions that they found to be certain or, at the very least, highly probable. In attempting to answer the deep challenge of philosophical skepticism, these thinkers explicitly articulated the rules for attaining true and certain knowledge and defined the boundaries beyond which human understanding could not venture. Matytsin explains the dialectical outcome of the philosophical disputes between the skeptics and their various opponents in France, the Dutch Republic, Switzerland, and Prussia. He shows that these exchanges transformed skepticism by mitigating its arguments while broadening the learned world’s confidence in the capacities of reason by moderating its aspirations. Ultimately, the debates about the powers and limits of human understanding led to the making of a new conception of rationality that privileged practicable reason over speculative reason. Matytsin also complicates common narratives about the Enlightenment by demonstrating that most of the thinkers who defended reason from skeptical critiques were religiously devout. By attempting either to preserve or to reconstruct the foundations of their worldviews and systems of thought, they became important agents of intellectual change and formulated new criteria of doubt and certainty. This complex and engaging book offers a powerful new explanation of how Enlightenment thinkers came to understand the purposes and the boundaries of rational inquiry.
The Skeptical Enlightenment
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Author : Jeffrey D. Burson
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2019
The Skeptical Enlightenment written by Jeffrey D. Burson and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019 with Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800 categories.
Although many historical narratives often describe the eighteenth century as an unalloyed 'Age of Reason', Enlightenment thinkers continued to grapple with the challenges posed by the revival and spread of philosophical skepticism. The imperative to overcome doubt and uncertainty informed some of the most innovative characteristics of eighteenth-century intellectual culture, including not only debates about epistemology and metaphysics but also matters of jurisprudence, theology, history, moral philosophy, and politics. Thinkers of this period debated about, established, and productively worked for progress within the parameters of the increasingly circumscribed boundaries of human reason. No longer considered innate and consistently perfect, reason instead became conceived as a faculty that was inherently fallible, limited by personal experiences, and in need of improvement throughout the course of any individual's life. In its depiction of a complicated, variegated, and diverse Enlightenment culture, this volume examines the process by which philosophical skepticism was challenged and gradually tamed to bring about an anxious confidence in the powers of human understanding. The various contributions collectively demonstrate that philosophical skepticism, and not simply unshakable confidence in the powers of reason or the optimistic assumption about inevitable human improvement, was, in fact, the crucible of the Enlightenment process itself. 'All in all, this is a volume which should be read by every scholar of the eighteenth century, of the history of ideas, and of the history of religion.''The editors are to be congratulated for bringing to fruition this volume of essays, and for making a clear and convincing argument for the importance of skepticism in the Enlightenment.'Dorinda Outram, H-France Review H-France Review Jeffrey D. Burson is Associate Professor of French History and the Enlightenment at Georgia Southern University. He is the author of 'The Rise and Fall of Theological Enlightenment: Jean-Martin de Prades and Ideological Polarization in Eighteenth-Century France' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2010), and 'The Culture of Enlightening and the Entangled Life of Abbé Claude Yvon' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2019), in addition to numerous articles and chapters in edited collections of essays. He is co-editor, with Ulrich L. Lehner, of 'Enlightenment and Catholicism in Europe: A Transnational History' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2014) and, with Jonathan Wright, of 'The Jesuit Suppression in Global Context: Causes, Events, and Consequences' (Cambridge University Press, 2015). Anton M. Matytsin is Assistant Professor of European History at Kenyon College. He is the author of 'The Specter of Skepticism in the Age of Enlightenment' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016) and co-editor, with Dan Edelstein, of 'Let There Be Enlightenment: The Religious and Mystical Sources of Rationality' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018).
The Skeptical Enlightenment
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Author : Jeffrey D. Burson
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2019-03-31
The Skeptical Enlightenment written by Jeffrey D. Burson and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019-03-31 with categories.
Althoughmany historical narratives often describe the eighteenth century as an unalloyed'Age of Reason', Enlightenment thinkers continued to grapple with thechallenges posed by the revival and spread of philosophical skepticism. Theimperative to overcome doubt and uncertainty informed some of the mostinnovative characteristics of eighteenth-century intellectual culture,including not only debates about epistemology and metaphysics but also mattersof jurisprudence, theology, history, moral philosophy, and politics. Thinkersof this period debated about, established, and productively worked for progresswithin the parameters of the increasingly circumscribed boundaries of humanreason. No longer considered innate and consistently perfect, reason insteadbecame conceived as a faculty that was inherently fallible, limited by personalexperiences, and in need of improvement throughout the course of anyindividual's life. In its depictionof a complicated, variegated, and diverse Enlightenment culture, this volume examines the process by whichphilosophical skepticism was challenged and gradually tamed to bring about ananxious confidence in the powers of human understanding. The variouscontributions collectively demonstrate that philosophical skepticism, andnot simply unshakable confidence in the powers of reason or the optimisticassumption about inevitable human improvement, was, in fact, the crucible ofthe Enlightenment process itself.
Scepticism In The Eighteenth Century Enlightenment Lumi Res Aufkl Rung
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Author : Sébastien Charles
language : en
Publisher: Springer
Release Date : 2015-05-19
Scepticism In The Eighteenth Century Enlightenment Lumi Res Aufkl Rung written by Sébastien Charles and has been published by Springer this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2015-05-19 with Philosophy categories.
The Age of Enlightenment has often been portrayed as a dogmatic period on account of the veritable worship of reason and progress that characterized Eighteenth Century thinkers. Even today the philosophes are considered to have been completely dominated in their thinking by an optimism that leads to dogmatism and ultimately rationalism. However, on closer inspection, such a conception seems untenable, not only after careful study of the impact of scepticism on numerous intellectual domains in the period, but also as a result of a better understanding of the character of the Enlightenment. As Giorgio Tonelli has rightly observed: “the Enlightenment was indeed the Age of Reason but one of the main tasks assigned to reason in that age was to set its own boundaries.” Thus, given the growing number of works devoted to the scepticism of Enlightenment thinkers, historians of philosophy have become increasingly aware of the role played by scepticism in the Eighteenth Century, even in those places once thought to be most given to dogmatism, especially Germany. Nevertheless, the deficiencies of current studies of Enlightenment scepticism are undeniable. In taking up this question in particular, the present volume, which is entirely devoted to the scepticism of the Enlightenment in both its historical and geographical dimensions, seeks to provide readers with a revaluation of the alleged decline of scepticism. At the same time it attempts to resituate the Pyrrhonian heritage within its larger context and to recapture the fundamental issues at stake. The aim is to construct an alternative conception of Enlightenment philosophy, by means of philosophical modernity itself, whose initial stages can be found herein.
Scepticism In The Enlightenment
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Author : R.H. Popkin
language : en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2013-04-17
Scepticism In The Enlightenment written by R.H. Popkin and has been published by Springer Science & Business Media this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-04-17 with Philosophy categories.
Starting with Richard Popkin's essay of 1963, `Scepticism in the Enlightenment', a new investigation into philosophical scepticism of the period was launched. The late Giorgio Tonelli and the late Ezequiel de Olaso examined in great detail the kinds of scepticism developed during the Enlightenment, and the kind of answer to scepticism that was developed by Leibniz. Their original researches and interpretations are of great value and importance. As a result of their work Popkin modified his original claims, as shown in the last two articles in this volume. The book contains an introduction by Popkin and 10 essays, two of which have never been published before. This collection should be of interest to students and scholars of 18th century thought in England, France and Germany.
Let There Be Enlightenment
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Author : Anton M. Matytsin
language : en
Publisher: JHU Press
Release Date : 2018-09-14
Let There Be Enlightenment written by Anton M. Matytsin and has been published by JHU Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2018-09-14 with Religion categories.
Challenging the triumphalist narrative of Enlightenment secularism. According to most scholars, the Enlightenment was a rational awakening, a radical break from a past dominated by religion and superstition. But in Let There Be Enlightenment, Anton M. Matytsin, Dan Edelstein, and the contributors they have assembled deftly undermine this simplistic narrative. Emphasizing the ways in which religious beliefs and motivations shaped philosophical perspectives, essays in this book highlight figures and topics often overlooked in standard genealogies of the Enlightenment. The volume underscores the prominent role that religious discourses continued to play in major aspects of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century thought. The essays probe a wide range of subjects, from reformer Jan Amos Comenius’s quest for universal enlightenment to the changing meanings of the light metaphor, Quaker influences on Baruch Spinoza’s theology, and the unexpected persistence of Aristotle in the Enlightenment. Exploring the emergence of historical consciousness among Enlightenment thinkers while examining their repeated insistence on living in an enlightened age, the collection also investigates the origins and the long-term dynamics of the relationship between faith and reason. Providing an overview of the rich spectrum of eighteenth-century culture, the authors demonstrate that religion was central to Enlightenment thought. The term “enlightenment” itself had a deeply religious connotation. Rather than revisiting the celebrated breaks between the eighteenth century and the period that preceded it, Let There Be Enlightenment reveals the unacknowledged continuities that connect the Enlightenment to its various antecedents. Contributors: Philippe Buc, William J. Bulman, Jeffrey D. Burson, Charly Coleman, Dan Edelstein, Matthew T. Gaetano, Howard Hotson, Anton M. Matytsin, Darrin M. McMahon, James Schmidt, Céline Spector, Jo Van Cauter
Scepticism From The Renaissance To The Enlightenment
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Author : Richard Henry Popkin
language : de
Publisher:
Release Date : 1987
Scepticism From The Renaissance To The Enlightenment written by Richard Henry Popkin and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 1987 with Enlightenment categories.
The Skeptical Tradition Around 1800
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Author : J. van der Zande
language : en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2013-03-14
The Skeptical Tradition Around 1800 written by J. van der Zande and has been published by Springer Science & Business Media this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-03-14 with Social Science categories.
In the early 1980s the late Charles B. Schmitt and I discussed the fact that so much new research and new interpretations were taking place concerning various areas of modem skepticism that we, as pioneers, ought to organize a conference where these new findings and outlooks could be presented and discussed. Charles and I had both visited the great library at Wolfenbiittel, and were most happy when the Herzog August Bibliothek agreed to host the first conference on the history of skepticism, in 1984 (published as Skepticism from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, ed. R. H. Popkin and Charles B. Schmitt [Wiesbaden, 1987, Wolfenbiitteler For schungen, vol. 35]) Charles and I projected a series of later conferences, the first of which would deal with skepticism and irreligion in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Unfortunately, however, Charles died suddenly in 1986, while lecturing in Padua. Subsequent to his death Constance Blackwell, his companion of many years, established the Foundation for Intellectual History to support research and publica tion on topics in the history of ideas that continued Schmitt's interests. One of the first ventures was to arrange and fund the already planned conference on skepticism and irreligion in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. After many difficulties and problems, the conference was sponsored and funded by the Foundation for Intel lectual History, one of its first public activities. It was held at the lovely facilities of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in Wassenaar in 1990.
Fictional Matter
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Author : Helen Thompson
language : en
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Release Date : 2017-01-13
Fictional Matter written by Helen Thompson and has been published by University of Pennsylvania Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-01-13 with Literary Criticism categories.
Fictional Matter argues that chemical definitions of particulate matter shaped eighteenth-century British science and literature. In this lucid, revisionary analysis of corpuscular science, Helen Thompson advances a new account of how the experimental production of empirical knowledge defined the emergent realist novel.
Pierre Daniel Huet 1630 1721 And The Skeptics Of His Time
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Author : José R. Maia Neto
language : en
Publisher: Springer Nature
Release Date : 2022-06-28
Pierre Daniel Huet 1630 1721 And The Skeptics Of His Time written by José R. Maia Neto and has been published by Springer Nature this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2022-06-28 with Philosophy categories.
This book offers a detailed and scholarly historical and philosophical examination of French scepticism from Descartes to the beginning of the Enlightenment by examining the views of Pierre-Daniel Huet (1630–1721). It shows the crucial role played by Huet in the modification of the early modern sceptical tradition: from a practical perspective closer to ancient scepticism, mostly presented by Montaigne and Charron, to an epistemological and metaphysical perspective strongly influenced by Descartes’s doubt. The book examines and gives original interpretations of the various sceptical (and semi-sceptical) views held in the period and their connections to Huet’s own scepticism. Besides known philosophers such as Descartes, Gassendi, Pascal and Bayle, the book also accesses sceptical views held by secondary figures such as La Mothe Le Vayer and Simon Foucher and others who have not thus far been connected to the sceptical tradition such as Jean-Baptiste du Hamel and Madeleine de Scudéry. The book is useful for scholars in the field of early modern ideas: philosophical, religious and scientific.