Philosophy as the dissolution of scepticism

• Grant number: 16/20766-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2017
• End date: November 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - History of Philosophy
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Tessa Moura Lacerda
• Grantee: Leandro Holanda Araujo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/12486-9 - Reid's corrections on Leibniz's notion of action: the problem of freedom, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Unbelieving to possibility of to conciliate reason with faith, a subject which scholasticism left a long literature about, Pierre Bayle said that human reason is a principle of destruction, not of construction, and it is impossible to such conciliation. For him, the Christian dogmas are far above what the reason is able to achieve, since they are rooted in mysteries that go beyond it. Therefore a Christian would be doomed to lose in the debate against the skeptic. Dissatisfied with this Bayle statement, but observing what he believed to be failures committed by scholasticism, Leibniz tried to give an answer that would satisfy the baylean problems, but did not fall in scholastic errors. According to him, the reason of these latter is an overly theological thought and a philosophy at the mercy of theology. Leibniz then proposed the development the Theodicy (a science of the mysteries of God's justice) that could find the formula to dissolve skepticism, which grows because of Christian controversies. Such a doctrine, if can not understand the mysteries of divine justice, at least can relocates them in another level, a level more objective and vigorous against the alleged contradictions which are appointed to. It is precisely this science in which are outlined the key points of what might be called the logic of faith, i.e., the Christian Logic. The aim of this research is therefore clarify such logic, elucidating its main points. Therefore, it is used as the primary basis of this research the Theodicy by Leibniz, and as main support for their opposition are used the Dictionnaire Historique et Critique and also Reponse Aux Questions both written by Bayle. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

ARAUJO, Leandro Holanda. Philosophy as dissolution of scepticism: an analysis of the debate that drove the turn of the 18th Century. 2021. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD) São Paulo.