BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Grails iCalendar plugin//NONSGML Grails iCalendar plugin//EN VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260408T081231Z DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20180427T103000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20180427T120000 SUMMARY:Atheism\, Academic Scepticism\, and Intellectual Integrity: Mary Astell’s Critique of Pierre Bayle UID:20260408T105215Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-f5d4878dd-r5qzs TZID:Australia/Melbourne LOCATION:Monash University\, Clayton\, Australia\, 3800 DESCRIPTION:

Abstract: \;This paper focuses on the English philosopher Mary Astell&rsquo\;s marginalia in Lady Mary Wortley Montagu&rsquo\;s personal copy of the 1704 edition of Pierre Bayle&rsquo\;s Pensé\;es diverses sur le comè\;te (first published in 1682). I argue that Astell&rsquo\;s annotations provide good reasons for thinking that Bayle is biased toward atheism in this work. Recent scholars maintain that Bayle can be interpreted as an Academic Sceptic: as someone who honestly and impartially follows a dialectical method of argument in order to obtain the goal of intellectual integrity. In her commentary\, however\, Astell suggests that: (i) if Bayle were honest and impartial in his inquiries\, he would not have pretended to attack popular superstition\, only to undermine generally-held religious beliefs\; and (ii) if Bayle valued intellectual integrity\, his argument for a society of virtuous atheists would not have relied upon a deceptive equivocation in terms. I conclude that the rediscovery of this marginalia is valuable for enhancing our appreciation of Astell as an astute reader of one of her most enigmatic contemporar

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