La liberté n’est-elle qu’un mot ? Bayle et les controverses théologiques sur la liberté entre 1685 et 1688

During the 1680s, Bayle is writing on the theological controversies about freedom. He denounces their emptiness, reducing them to mere disputes about words. “Freedom” was treated as a label applicable to all the positions present, including Spinozism. Rather than defending in a positive way the compatibility of freedom and determination, Bayles suggests that this “liberty” can also be described as absence of liberty.