Various Thoughts on the Occasion of a Comet

by Pierre Bayle

Overview

Bayle, arguably the primary intellectual predecessor to the Enlightenment, sought in this text to undermine the influence of "superstition" in politics, particularly the superstition brought about by religious beliefs, and it is here that he first made his suggestion that a decent society of atheists is possible in principle. Translator Robert Bartlett provides extensive notes and an introduction to Bayle, his influence, and the intricacies of . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791492734
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	09/30/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Robert C. Bartlett is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Emory University. He is the author of The Shorter Socratic Writings of Xenophon: Apology of Socrates to the Jury, Oeconomicus, and Symposium.

Table of Contents

Preface

Outline

Table of Sections

Introduction

Various Thoughts on the Occasion Of a Comet

Biblical Passages Cited

Bibliography of Principal Works Cited

Index of Proper Names

Editorial Reviews

All students of political philosophy will be in Bartlett’s debt when this is published. Because of Bayle’s argument, supporters of religion today have great difficulty in assuming that religion is the only way to morality. Everybody in the field has heard of Bayle, and most are vaguely aware of the significance of his argument, but few have read him; and Bartlett now makes this easy.” — Harvey C. Mansfield, Harvard University

From the Publisher