Reading Bayle (Toronto Studies in Philosophy) (Paperback)

by Thomas M. Lennon (Author) "More than for most authors, something of Bayle's biography and of the nature of his works is needed to understand what he wrote..." (more)
Key Phrases: vray système, ignorance exculpates, impostor husband, Pierre Bayle, Council of Trent, François de Sales (more...)

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Product Description

Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) has been described by Richard Popkin as the key intellectual figure at the outset of the eighteenth century. Examinations of libraries from the period show him to have been by far the most successful author of the century, and his Historical and Critical Dictionary is in fact the philosophy best-seller of all time. The concepts, distinctions, and arguments found in his work were so widely adopted by later authors that Bayle came to be known as the 'Arsenal of the Enlightenment'. Despite his universally acknowledged importance, however, there has been from his own time to the present much disagreement about how Bayle is to be interpreted.

The title of this work is deliberately ambiguous, reflecting the multiple levels on which its argument is conducted. One aim is to indicate how a reading of Bayle might be made possible-how the initial impenetrability of his writings and their world might be overcome. On another level, the book offers an interpretation of Bayle's writings. Finally, it is a record of the author's own thoughts upon reading Bayle-what he finds himself thinking about as he looks at Bayle and his world.

This work is a critical but sympathetic treatment of this neglected thinker. It will engage anyone interested in the history of modern philosophy, the history of ideas, literary criticism, and the history of seventeenth-century French culture.

About the Author
Thomas M. Lennon is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press (August 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802082661
• ISBN-13: 978-0802082664
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,569,533 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Now I'm even more confused..., August 4, 2005

By	Roald Andresen (Skien Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book because I found Bayle's works confusing and difficult to approach. This book - with its very promissing title - is just as confusing and unapproachable. It certainly was of no help to me.