The politics of skepticism in the ancients, Montaigne, Hume, and Kant / / by John Christian Laursen.

• Superior document: Brill's studies in intellectual history, volume 35
• VerfasserIn: Laursen, John Christian,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, New York : : E.J. Brill,, 1992.
• Year of Publication: 1992
• Language: English
• Series: Brill's studies in intellectual history ; v. 35.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (258 pages)

This book brings out the profound influence of the tradition of philosophical skepticism on political thought. It shows that many of the root ideas of liberalism in early modern thought were a product of engagement with the skeptical tradition. The book begins with the first extended discussion in the literature of the political implications of ancient skepticism, asking the question, \'Can Skeptics Live a Skeptical Politics?\' The following sections explore the influence of skepticism on the political thought of Montaigne, Hume, and Kant. The case is made that some forms of liberalism derived from these thinkers have been historically closely bound up with skepticism.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- INTRODUCTION: SKEPTICISM AND POLITICS -- CHAPTER ONE: ANCIENT SKEPTICISM AND POLITICS -- CHAPTER TWO: PYRRHONIAN AND ACADEMIC POLITICS -- CHAPTER THREE: CAN SKEPTICS LIVE A SKEPTICAL POLITICS? -- CHAPTER FOUR: MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE AND THE POLITICS OF SKEPTICISM -- CHAPTER FIVE: SKEPTICAL IDEOLOGIES IN MONTAIGNE -- CHAPTER SIX: HUME'S PHILOSOPHY OF CUSTOM -- CHAPTER SEVEN: HUME'S POLITICS OF MANNERS AND OPINION -- CHAPTER EIGHT: SKEPTICISM AND INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM: THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF KANT'S POLITICS OF PUBLICITY -- CHAPTER NINE: THE SUBVERSIVE KANT: THE VOCABULARY OF \'PUBLIC\' AND \'PUBLICITY\' -- AFTERWORD -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX.