Del buon uso delle controversie: Bayle, l’ars disputandi e la République des Lettres

In the eyes of Bayle, the Republic of Letters represents a free and collaborative space, in which all scholars cooperate without regard to political and religious barriers; however, it is also the scene of fierce fighting, with all against all as in Hobbes’ state of nature. Controversies, if not well regulated, often serve to obscure the truth instead of clarifying it – yet the search for truth cannot do without disputes. It is therefore a question of defining the rules and limits of the controversy, despite knowing that in some ways it looks more like a merciless struggle than a chivalric tournament. These rules are borrowed from those typical of scholastic disputes, adapted not to the limited space of the university classroom but to the wide and open landscape of the Republic of Letters. However, as the foundation of these rules Bayle identifies the most basic principles of natural morality, on which every reasonable man must agree, starting with the Golden Rule: quod tibi fieri non vis, alteri ne feceris.