Pierre Bayle was one of the best-known philosophers in the Eighteenth Century, but his work is now rarely studied. Anthony Gottlieb, author of The Dream of Enlightenment, argues that he should be better known, particularly his work on toleration and on scepticism.
This is philosophy bites with me, Nigel.
Warburton, and me, David Edmonds.
Philosophy Bites is unfunded.
Please help us keep it going by subscribing or donating at www.philosophybytes.com, or you can become a patron at Patreon.
You've probably never heard of the late 17th century french philosopher Pierre Bale.
He was raised a Protestant, but spent much of his life in more religiously tolerant Holland.
It's a shame he's not better known, says Anthony Gottlieb, for Bayle's writings are important, most especially, but not exclusively, for what he has to say about toleration.
Anthony Gottlieb, welcome to philosophy Bites.
Thank you.
The topic we're going to focus on is Pierre Bayle.
Now, very few philosophers will have heard of Pierre Bayle.
Who was he?
He was a 17th century french Protestant.
And it's important that he was a Protestant because at that time, very, very few people in France were Protestants.
They were persecuted.
He had a very hard time.
And one of the things he's most important for, I think, is his work on religious toleration.
He was, in fact, one of the best read philosophers of the 18th century because he was the author of a historical and critical dictionary.
That was a reference book found in probably more houses than any other reference book.
So who's an advocate of religious toleration as a result of personal experience?