18th century authors were a lot more boring and had a lot less to say, and the 19th century was even worse. The only influential work we got in the 19th century was the Communist Manifesto. Even today that's the only 19th century work that's interesting to read. 20th century was just a snooze-fest, jesus.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5830788&forum_id=2...id#49645471)

https://imgur.com/a/o2g8xYK

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5830788&forum_id=2...id#49645506)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Grotius

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5830788&forum_id=2...id#49645478)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_von_Pufendorf

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5830788&forum_id=2...id#49645481)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Bernier

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5830788&forum_id=2...id#49645508)

The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) profoundly influenced philosophy in the 17th century, though not in a simple, direct cause-and-effect manner. It acted as a catalyst, accelerating existing trends and forcing a critical re-evaluation of fundamental assumptions about politics, religion, knowledge, and human nature. Here's a breakdown of the extent of that influence, categorized by philosophical trends:

**1. Skepticism & the Crisis of Certainty:**

* **War as Evidence of Disorder:** The sheer brutality, senselessness, and prolonged suffering of the war dramatically undermined the Renaissance ideal of a harmonious, ordered universe. The destruction challenged beliefs in divine providence and the rationality of the world. If God allowed such chaos, what could be truly known about His plan or the natural order?

* **Michel de Montaigne's Legacy:** Though Montaigne died shortly before the war, his *Essays* (published earlier in the century) saw a surge in popularity *because* of the war. His radical skepticism – questioning the possibility of certain knowledge, emphasizing individual experience, and highlighting human fallibility – resonated with those witnessing the breakdown of established norms. The war seemed to *prove* Montaigne right: humans were driven by passion, not reason, and truth was elusive.

* **Pierre Gassendi & Revived Pyrrhonism:** Gassendi, inspired by Montaigne and ancient Pyrrhonism, actively promoted skeptical thought. He sought to ground skepticism in empirical observation, further challenging dogmatic systems. The war lent a sense of urgency to his project – finding ways to cope with uncertainty in a world seemingly devoid of meaning.

* **Impact on Rationalism:** Paradoxically, even the emergence of *rationalism* (see below) can be seen as partly a response to the war’s chaos. Thinkers like Descartes sought to build a new foundation for knowledge on a basis of indubitable principles, hoping to establish certainty amidst the surrounding instability.

**2. Political Philosophy & the Rise of Social Contract Theory:**

* **Questioning Divine Right of Kings:** The war exposed the failures of the existing political order, particularly the concept of the Divine Right of Kings. Religious wars fought *in the name of* God led to a deep distrust of religious authority and calls for secular justifications of power.

* **Thomas Hobbes & *Leviathan* (1651):** Arguably the most directly influenced philosopher. Hobbes witnessed the English Civil War (a parallel to the Thirty Years’ War) and its horrors. *Leviathan* is a direct product of this experience. He argued that life in the “state of nature” is a “war of all against all” - a brutal, chaotic existence. He posited that absolute sovereignty is necessary to maintain order, even if that sovereign is tyrannical, because the alternative is worse. The war justified, in Hobbes' eyes, a strong, centralized state capable of suppressing the destructive forces of human nature.

* **Hugo Grotius & International Law:** Grotius, a Dutch jurist and philosopher, aimed to establish principles of international law that could prevent future wars. His *On the Law of War and Peace* (1625) emphasized natural law and the importance of treaties to regulate relations between states. While predating the peak of the war, his ideas gained urgency during and after the conflict.

* **John Locke & Two Treatises of Government (late 1680s, informed by the aftermath):** Although published later, Locke’s political philosophy was significantly shaped by the turbulent 17th century. He offered a different vision than Hobbes, arguing for limited government, natural rights (life, liberty, property), and the right to revolution if the government violated those rights. While the war didn’t *directly* inspire his writing, the experience of upheaval and religious conflict informed his emphasis on religious tolerance and the separation of powers.

**3. Rationalism & the Search for Foundational Knowledge:**

* **René Descartes & Methodological Doubt:** Descartes' quest for certainty, culminating in "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), was partly motivated by the intellectual and social chaos of the time. He sought to rebuild knowledge from the ground up, using reason and mathematics as the basis for establishing indubitable truths. The war highlighted the unreliability of traditional authorities and emphasized the need for a new, rational foundation for belief.

* **Baruch Spinoza & Determinism:** Spinoza, influenced by Descartes but pushing rationalism further, argued for a deterministic universe governed by natural laws. While not directly attributable to the war, his emphasis on understanding the natural order and accepting necessity offered a philosophical framework for coping with seemingly random and destructive events. He saw emotion as arising from ignorance of the true nature of reality, and reason as the path to freedom.

* **Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz & Optimism:** Leibniz attempted to reconcile the existence of evil with the belief in a benevolent God. He argued that we live in the “best of all possible worlds,” meaning that God chose the world that maximized overall goodness, even if it included suffering. While perhaps a comforting notion, it also suggests a detachment from the immediate horrors of the war and an attempt to impose rational order onto an irrational reality.

**4. Impact on Religious Philosophy:**

* **Religious Toleration & Separation of Church and State:** The war, fuelled by religious conflict, ironically fostered debates about religious toleration. Thinkers like John Locke (as mentioned above) argued for the separation of church and state and the right of individuals to practice their religion freely (or not at all).

* **Rise of Deism:** A move away from traditional Christian dogma towards a belief in a distant, non-intervening God who created the universe but does not interfere in human affairs. Deism resonated with those disillusioned by the religious fanaticism that contributed to the war.

* **Challenges to Traditional Theology:** The sheer scale of suffering raised profound theological questions. If God was all-powerful and all-good, why did He allow such devastation? Philosophers grappled with the problem of evil and the challenge to traditional conceptions of divine providence.

**Limitations & Nuances:**

* **Not Sole Cause:** It's crucial to remember that the Thirty Years’ War was *not* the sole cause of these philosophical shifts. The Scientific Revolution, the Renaissance, and existing philosophical traditions were also crucial influences.

* **Long-Term Effects:** Some effects were more gradual and long-term. The war laid the groundwork for later philosophical developments in the Enlightenment.

* **Regional Variations:** The impact varied geographically. Thinkers in war-torn regions (like Germany) were arguably more directly affected than those in countries that remained relatively unscathed (like England).

**In conclusion,** the Thirty Years’ War served as a crucial historical and intellectual context for 17th-century philosophy. It amplified existing intellectual currents (skepticism, rationalism) and spurred the development of new political philosophies (social contract theory) aimed at explaining and preventing future conflicts. It forced philosophers to confront fundamental questions about human nature, the nature of knowledge, the role of religion, and the legitimacy of political authority, ultimately shaping the intellectual landscape of the modern world.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5830788&forum_id=2...id#49645605)