To Know Oneself is to err. The Skeptical Approach to the Affections in Juan Luis Vives

Abstract

In this article we will propose a skeptical reading of the treatment that Juan Luis Vives gives to the affections in the third part of his book De Anima et Vita. To do so, first, we will situate this work in the context of the time and life of its author. Subsequently, we will make a brief account of Vives' main influences when describing the affections. Thirdly, we will highlight his skeptical influences, specifically the weight of Academic skepticism in his practical conception of the passions. Finally, we will conclude that the treatment of the affections in the humanist's work is linked both to his recovery of academic verisimilitude and to the impulse given to rhetoric in the Renaissance, to the persuasive use of words and impressions, as a way to solve the asphyxiating moral and political problems of that time.