Scepticism as a Force in Renaissance and Post-Renaissance Thought: New Findings and New Interpretations of the Role and Influence of Modern Scepticism

—a conference organized by Richard H. Popkin, University of California, Los Angeles, and José R. Maia Neto, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil

In the half century since the publication of Richard Popkin’s original articles on the sceptical crisis and the rise of modern philosophy and of his book The History of Scepticism from Erasmus to Descartes, there has been a growing interest in tracing the way philosophical scepticism developed from the late fifteenth century onward. Much controversy has also developed about how to interpret the views of various major sceptical figures, such as Montaigne, Pierre Bayle and David Hume; and a great deal of new research and new evaluations have been done on the relationship between philosophical scepticism and religious belief. The present conference brings together several figures who are at the forefront of new researches in this field.