CFP: American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, Los Angeles, CA, March 19–22, 2015 Panel: “Pierre Bayle and the Enlightenment” Pierre Bayle, commonly known as the philosophe de Rotterdam, was a foundational figure for Enlightenment thought. His hypercritical and encyclopedic approach to all areas of human knowledge influenced the way in which scholars treated the presumptive authority of the past and approached Biblical scholarship. His justification of religious toleration inspired Voltaire and other philosophes to promote the cause and make it a political reality in eighteenth-century Europe. His skeptical critique of human reason pushed philosophers, such as d’Alembert and Hume, to define more clearly the extent and limits of rational enquiry. Indeed, Bayle casts a long shadow over the Enlightenment, as his Dictionnaire historique et critique, first published in 1697, was the most widely owned text in French private libraries in the eighteenth century. Bayle was a complex figure, whose legacy and whose own ideas with respect to reason, religion, and politics continue to be a contested topic in contemporary scholarship. Nevertheless, Bayle’s thought is understudied, relative to other thinkers of his time, and it deserves significantly more attention than it has received. This panel seeks to revisit the most recent developments in the scholarship on Bayle and to propose new avenues of exploration. Papers exploring various aspects of Bayle’s philosophical, theological, and political views as well as those that focus on his influences on eighteenth-century thought are welcome. Please send proposals of no more than 250 words before September 15, 2014 to Anton Matytsin at anton.matytsin@gmail or [email protected]
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 04:29:20 +0000
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