RATIONALISM AND HUMANITIES IN THE 17TH CENTURY: THE CRITICAL METHOD OF JEAN MABILLON

Abstract

This article deals with the influence of the philosophy of rationalism on humanitarian knowledge in the 17th century, when philology and history were shaped as modern disciplines. This process occurred largely due to the spread of the critical method. In this regard, the works by Jean Mabillon are of particular interest because this “Benedictine erudite” laid the foundations of the systematic study of medieval monuments due to which it became possible to state the authenticity of documents by using objective criteria. In Mabillon’s writings, rationalism manifests itself not only in research methods but also in concepts.

Keywords

• rationalism
• the history of science
• erudition
• Cartesianism
• textual criticism
• Mabillon