Abstract

Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) underscores how challenging it is to morally improve ourselves as passionate human beings in order to form a tolerant and peaceful society. Moreover, he conceives moral discourses as dissociated from moral behaviour, which suggests that even good religious precepts do not play any role in the development of a virtuous character. This paper focuses on Bayle's outlook on habit - a common element turning passions into virtue or vice - and showcases how this process is dependent on both education and conscience.