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Skepticism, Renaissance

Book cover Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy

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Abstract

Skepticism played a major role during the Renaissance, both before and after the rediscovery of Sextus Empiricus’ works and the revival of Pyrrhonism. In its various branches, this philosophical movement connected with various orientations, bringing forth new combinations that, albeit somehow eclectic, revealed its fecundity and strength of innovation. It connected with fideism (Gianfrancesco Pico), rhetoric and dialectic (Talon), occultism and Neoplatonism (H. C. Agrippa), empiricism (Montaigne), Stoicism (Charron), and epistemology and metaphysics (Sanches and Campanella). Skepticism acted as a factor of moderation in theological debates (Erasmus, Castellion) and had an important impact on seventeenth-century philosophy, until Campanella, Descartes, and Hobbes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Humanities, University of Piedmont, Vercelli, Italy

    Gianni Paganini

  2. Research Center of the Accademia dei Lincei, Rome, Italy

    Gianni Paganini

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  1. Gianni Paganini
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Venezia, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

Section Editor information

  1. University Ca' Foscari Venice, Venice, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

  2. The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK

    Peter Mack

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Paganini, G. (2018). Skepticism, Renaissance. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_237-1

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    Skepticism in the Renaissance, History of
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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_237-2

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    Skepticism, Renaissance
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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_237-1

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