M. de Montaigne fue simultáneamente hijo del Renacimiento y de la Reforma, y un lúcido seguidor de Sexto Empírico. Se muestra cómo el pirronismo lo condujo a cuestionar las convicciones de su tiempo y a atenerse a las costumbres y leyes vigentes. Esto le dio pie a una posición política moderada, así como a una adhesión no dogmática al catolicismo. Se analiza su original posición frente a la Reforma, bajo la hipótesis de que su postura político-religiosa solo cabe entenderla a (...) la luz de su escepticismo. . de Montaigne was a child of both the Renaissance and the Reformation, as well as a lucid follower of Sextus Empiricus. The article shows how Pyrrhonism led him to question the beliefs of his time and to abide by the prevailing customs and laws. This gave rise to his moderate political position and to his non-dogmatic adhesion to Catholicism. On the basis of the hypothesis that Montaigne's political-religious views can only be understood in the light of his skepticism, the paper also analyzes his original reaction to the Reformation. M. de Montaigne foi simultaneamente filho do Renascimento e da Reforma, e um lúcido seguidor de Sexto Empírico. Mostra-se como o pirronismo o conduziu a questionar as convicções de seu tempo e a estar atado aos costumes e leis vigentes. Isso o levou a uma posição política moderada, bem como a uma adesão não dogmática ao catolicismo. Analisa-se sua original posição ante a Reforma, sob a hipótese de que sua postura político-religiosa só cabe entendê-la à luz de seu ceticismo. (shrink)

M. de Montaigne was a child of both the Renaissance and the Reformation, as well as a lucid follower of Sextus Empiricus. The article shows how Pyrrhonism led him to question the beliefs of his time and to abide by the prevailing customs and laws. This gave rise to his moderate political position and to his non-dogmatic adhesión to Catholicism. On the basis of the hypothesis that Montaigne’s political-religious views can only be understood in the light of his skepticism, the (...) paper also analyzes his original reaction to the Reformation. (shrink)

La noción de Ley –del mismo modo que las nociones de Estado o de Nación– no es sino una entelequia que enmascara tras de sí una ausencia sustancial. Su existencia no posee otro objetivo que el de brindar un sostén simbólico capaz de velar ese vacío originario, haciendo de nuestro mundo un lugar menos acosado por la incertidumbre. De acuerdo con esto, el objetivo del presente trabajo es el de internarnos en una búsqueda que pueda conducirnos nuevamente hacia ese suelo (...) originario, hacia ese momento cero de la institución. El ensayista Michel de Montaigne oficiará de guía en esa búsqueda. Él nos conducirá hacia el terreno en el cual la solidez de los fundamentos parece desvanecerse, o, más bien, hacia el momento simbólico en el cual una mera decisión humana, tan arbitraria como contingente, da origen a aquellas normas que poco a poco, gracias a esa maestra violenta y traidora que es la costumbre, habrán de ser veneradas en su aparente intemporalidad. The notion of law –as the notions of state or nation– is nothing but an entelechy that masks behind it a substantial absence. Its existence has no other purpose than to provide us with a symbolic support able to veil that originating void, making our world a place less hurried by uncertainty. In accordance with this, the aim of the present paper is to begin a search that may lead us back to the original soil, to the time zero of institution. The essayist Michel de Montaigne will be our guide. He will lead us to the land on which the strength of the foundation seems to vanish, or, rather, to the symbolic moment in which a mere humane, arbitrary and contingent decision gives rise to those standards who gradually, thanks to the violent and treacherous teacher who is custom, start to be worshiped in his apparent timelessness. (shrink)

Is war a way to peace? This question, which in the eyes of Hannah Arendt will be no more than a falsehood of the militaristic crusade, will prove to be a topic almost unavoidable for anyone to undertake the task of thinking philosophically about violence, its origins and implications. Niccolò Machiavelli, imbued with a universe of wars, intrigue, and political ups and downs, will not be an exception to this rule. It is to him whom we dedicate this study: based (...) on The Prince , in the first section we analyze the centrality of the concepts of virtú , Fortune and occasion. Later, we rehearse a reflection on the observations Machiavelli performs around the issue of war. Our ultimate objective is none other than trying to unravel and understand what should be, in the version of the Florentine, the relationship between a virtuous prince and armies. (shrink)

At the moment of his death, Jean Meslier not only bequeathed to posterity a Memoir in which he will openly declare his materialistic atheism, but also two letters addressed to the priests of his neighbourhood. In those letters, which can be read as a preface to his work, he urges his colleagues to undeceive themselves Christianity`s mistakes, unveil the mystery of inequity and enlighten their parishioners on the principles of good sense and the straight natural reason, issues that afterwards planted (...) the seed of a future revolution. This is the first Spanish translation of the letters mentioned above and it is addressed to spread some of Meslier’s most unknown works. (shrink)

At the moment of his death, Jean Meslier not only bequeathed to posterity a Memoir in which he will openly declare his materialistic atheism, but also two letters addressed to the priests of his neighbourhood. In those letters, which can be read as a preface to his work, he urges his colleagues to undeceive themselves Christianity`s mistakes, unveil the mystery of inequity and enlighten their parishioners on the principles of good sense and the straight natural reason, issues that afterwards planted (...) the seed of a future revolution. This is the first Spanish translation of the letters mentioned above and it is addressed to spread some of Meslier’s most unknown works. (shrink)

This article aims to consider how the history of philosophy is being made, mainly how the Enlightenment’s history is being told. To this end, it analyses a recent book by Antony Pagden to clarify a practice that seems to be frequent in the historiography of this cultural and philosophical movement of the 18th century: that of its political use. The work is divided into two parts: first, there is an academic critique, concentrating on how Pagden constructs his story of the (...) Enlightenment. Then, a political exegesis is carried out to clarify what purposes the author seems to have pursued at the time of publication of his work. In the conclusion, finally, a series of considerations of a metaphilosophical nature are made. (shrink)

A partir de una tesis de Margaret Jacob, en este artículo se persiguen dos objetivos: por un lado, se realiza un análisis de la filosofía natural de Jean Meslier a fin de poner en evidencia la supremacía de la hipótesis materialista por sobre la creacionista; por el otro, se vincula su posición metafísica con su propuesta de acción política con la intención de poner en evidencia que el ateísmo popular y revolucionario defendido por el cura resulta compatible con la idea (...) de que el movimiento es una cualidad esencial de la materia y no un efecto de la voluntad de Dios. (shrink)