Skepticism and Political Thought in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (UCLA Clark Memorial Library Series)

Surveying the use of skepticism in works by Hobbes, Descartes, Hume, Smith, and Kant, among others, these essays demonstrate the pervasive impact of skepticism on the intellectual landscape of early modern Europe. In This Collection, Thirteen Distinguished Contributors Examine The Influence Of The Ancient Skeptical Philosophy Of Pyrrho Of Elis And Sextus Empiricus On Early Modern Political Thought. Classical Skepticism Argues That In The Absence Of Certainty One Must Either Suspend Judgment And Live By Habit Or Act On The Basis Of Probability Rather Than Certainty. In Either Case, One Must Reject Dogmatic Confidence In Politics And Philosophy. Surveying The Use Of Skepticism In Works By Hobbes, Descartes, Hume, Smith, And Kant, Among Others, The Essays In Skepticism And Political Thought In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries Demonstrate The Pervasive Impact Of Skepticism On The Intellectual Landscape Of Early Modern Europe. This Volume Is Not Just An Authoritative Account Of Skepticism's Importance From The Enlightenment To The French Revolution, It Is Also The Basis For Understanding Skepticism's Continuing Political Implications.--front Inside Flap Of Dust Jacket. Introduction / John Christian Laursen And Gianni Paganini -- Neither Philosophy Nor Politics? The Ancient Pyrrhonian Approach To Everyday Life / Emidio Spinelli -- La Mothe Le Vayer And Political Skepticism / Daniel R. Brunstetter -- Hobbes And The French Skeptics / Gianni Paganini -- Questionnnements Sceptiques Et Politiques De La Fable: Les Du Libertinage érudit / Jean-charles Darmon -- Obeying The Laws And Customs Of The Country: Living In Disorder And Barbarity. The Powerlessness Of Political Skepticism According To The 'discours Sceptiques' (1657) Of Samuel Sorbière / Sylvia Giocanti -- Bernard Mandeville's Skeptical Political Philosophy / Rui Bertrand Romão -- David Hume: Skepticism In Politics? / Andrew Sabl -- Denis Diderot And The Politics Of Materialist Skepticism / Whitney Mannies -- Rousseau: Philosophical And Religious Skepticism And Political Dogmatism / María José Villaverde -- Skepticism And Political Economy: Smith, Hume, And Rousseau / Pierre Force -- Can A Skeptic Be A Reformer? Skepticism In Morals And Politics During The Enlightenment: The Case Of Voltaire / Rodrigo Brandão -- From General Skepticism To Complete Dogmatism: Jacques-pierre Brissot De Warville / Sébastien Charles -- Carl Friedrich Stäudlin's Diagnosis Of The Political Effects Of Skepticism In Late Eighteetn-century Germany / John Christian Laursen. Edited By John Christian Laursen And Gianni Paganini. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

In this collection, thirteen distinguished contributors examine the influence of the ancient skeptical philosophy of Pyrrho of Elis and Sextus Empiricus on early modern political thought. Classical skepticism argues that in the absence of certainty one must either suspend judgment and live by habit or act on the basis of probability rather than certainty. In either case, one must reject dogmatic confidence in politics and philosophy.

Surveying the use of skepticism in works by Hobbes, Descartes, Hume, Smith, and Kant, among others, the essays in Skepticism and Political Thought in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries demonstrate the pervasive impact of skepticism on the intellectual landscape of early modern Europe. This volume is not just an authoritative account of skepticism’s importance from the Enlightenment to the French Revolution, it is also the basis for understanding skepticism’s continuing political implications.