The Boundaries of Philosophy in the Interpretation of Renaissance Skepticism (Pierre Charron)

Abstract

The question of the subject and limits of philosophy received various solutions throughout its history, but invariably it was at the center of worldview conflicts of turning epochs. Skeptical constructions have always been of particular im­portance in this series. One of the most fruitful pages in the development of skepticism is associated with the late Renaissance. In this regard, the figure of Pierre Charron is extremely noteworthy. In his oeuvre, it would be wrong to see only a scholastic repetition of Montaigne’s ideas. Of course, the influence of the native of Perigord on Charron’s thinking is undoubtedly. But the signi­ficance of Charron’s legacy goes far beyond simply repeating other people’s theoretical attitudes. He approached the construction of his skeptical system through a deep thinking. The starting point on this path is a treatise on the ba­sics of religion. Charron opposes Duplessis-Mornay’s concept, which justified the need to fight Catholicism under the slogan of freeing the Church from tyranny. Reflections on the problem of a correct understanding of the essence of religious clashes that resulted in a series of civil wars are a prerequisite for his main work – the treatise On Wisdom. By distinguishing between types of wisdom, he separates religion from philosophy and morality. He accuses mod­ern theologians and metaphysicians of wandering on dead ends. According to Charron, skeptical philosophy was called upon to replace their erroneous con­structions, refusing to try to reveal the essence of things and concentrating on civilian life. This kind of philosophy is based on self-knowledge and its true core is morality. Not intending to break with religion, Charron to a large extent stimulated the reflections of subsequent freethinkers. The article focuses on three dimensions of Charron’s skepticism.