ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author describes and analyses a multi-faceted revolution that is religious, cognitive and political. The first corresponds to the religious war in Europe between Protestants and Catholics. Against this war and ideologies in general, Montaigne developed a psychology of tolerance that advocated for education on will and control of the mind. According to Montaigne, this was the only way to overcome egocentrism. The second revolution corresponds to the Enlightenment, in which all human beings were to use their own reason (i.e. brain and cognition) to understand the world independently of religion and royalty. This led to the political revolution in France. At this time in history (the Renaissance to the Enlightenment), according to Descartes, the effective use of reason needed logical rules or ‘method’ (in line with Aristotle). According to Pascal, it also required emotion and persuasiveness involving both intuition and logic.
