Pierre Bayle
Pierre Bayle Pierre Bayle Born 18 November 1647 Carla-le-Comte, Kingdom of France Died 28 December 1706 Rotterdam, Dutch Republic Religion Protestantism Era 17th-century philosophy Region Western Philosophy Notable ideas Bayle's skeptical trilemma Influences Descartes, Spinoza Influenced Condorcet, Diderot, Frederick the Great, Hume, des Maizeaux, Mandeville, Maupertuis, Toland, Vico, Voltaire French literature by category French literary history Medieval Renaissance 17th 18th 19th 20th century Contemporary French writers Chronological list Writers by category Essayists Novelists Playwrights Poets Short story writers Portals France French language Literature French/Francophone literature v t e Pierre Bayle (French: [bɛl]; 18 November 1647 – 28 December 1706) was a French philosopher and writer best known for his seminal work the Historical and Critical Dictionary, published beginning in 1697. Bayle was a Protestant. As a forerunner of the Encyclopedists and an advocate of the principle of the toleration of divergent beliefs, his works subsequently influenced the development of the Enlightenment.