[Revised entry by Michael Hickson on January 12, 2023.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
Pierre Bayle (1647 – 1706), the “Philosopher of Rotterdam”, was a historian, literary critic, journalist, encyclopedist, French Protestant refugee, professor, and above all, philosopher. Although he is usually grouped today among the “minor figures” in the history of philosophy, Bayle was considered by the leading philosophers of his day as an equal, as one of the most erudite authors of his or any century. Upon Bayle’s death, G.W. Leibniz wrote: “he has departed from us, and such a…

Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More