Return of Scepticism

The theme of scepticism has been central in the study of the history of ideas in modern times since Richard Popkin's and Charles Schmitt's works. After them, the assumption connected with the philosophical notion of scepticism was broadened so as to define the critical use of reason and doubt concerning the truth of religion, the function of politics, the aims of science, thus becoming a central intellectual issue in the making of modernity. In this collection of articles (in fact the proceedings of an international conference held in Vercelli) special care is dedicated to placing the theme of scepticism within its philosophical tradition. Moreover, in comparison with other historical studies, the English philosophical thinkers appear here in the foreground, with a number of contributions on Hobbes, Locke, Cambridge Platonists and the Latitude-Men. The French Context also, ranging from Descartes to Malebranche, from Arnauld and Port-Royal to Huet, Bayle and his followers, is explored in depth. Some articles deal with Italian major figures (Vico and Galilei above all) and Spanish culture. Special care is dedicated to the relationships between history of philosophical ideas and the problems rising from the history of sciences (medicine, physics, linguistics, historical scholarship) in the 17th and the 18th centuries. Level of readership or target groups: University Courses, University Libraries, Specialized scholars.