Philosophy as dissolution of scepticism: an analysis of the debate that drove the turn of the 18th Century

Author(s)

Leandro Holanda Araujo

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2021-02-02

Examining board members

Tessa Moura Lacerda; Rodrigo Brandão; Celí Hirata; Oliver Tolle

• Advisor: Tessa Moura Lacerda

Abstract

The attempts to conciliate reason with faith are not a Leibniz\'s innovation inasmuch as the Scholasticism left a large literature on the subject. However, the great innovation of modern discussion is going beyond the scholastic scope and affording new perspectives on the same subject: on the one hand, there is Bayle and his Christian scepticism; on the other hand, we can find out the Leibnizian attempt to develop the \"God\'s justice science\". Unbelieving in the possibility to conciliate reason with faith, by that time a typically Scholastic matter, Pierre Bayle had said human reason is a principle of destruction, instead of construction, i.e., all attempts towards conciliation are doomed to failure. For him, the Christian dogmas are far above what the reason is able to achieve, insofar as they are rooted in mysteries that go beyond it. Therefore, Christians would be doomed to lose the debate against sceptics. Dissatisfied with Bayle\'s statement, but noting what he believed to be mistakes made by Scholasticism, Leibniz sought to figure out an answer to Bayle\'s problems that would not repeat Scholastic\'s mistakes. According to him, the reason of the latter is an overly theological thought and a philosophy at the mercy of theology. Thus, Leibniz proposed to develop Theodicy (God\'s justice mysteries science), which could find out the formula to dissolve Scepticism, which grows due to Christian controversies. Even though such a study cannot understand the divine justice mysteries, it can even so turn them stronger making them more objective and more vigorous against the alleged contradictions pointed out. It is precisely this science where are outlined the key points needed to figure out something like a Christian logic. Hence, the aim of this dissertation is to clarify the major elements of Bayle and Leibniz\'s debate and analyse some issues that came from it to finally show - escaping from medievalists oversights - how philosophy could be a way to solve certain seeming inconsistencies in the mysteries of faith. Therefore, Leibniz\'s Theodicy was studied as the primary basis to introduce their debate along with, as the major opposition to it, Bayle\'s Dictionnaire Historique et Critique. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/20766-6 - Philosophy as the dissolution of scepticism
• Grantee: Leandro Holanda Araujo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master