This work constitutes a study of an open set of intellectual efforts in the search for the cooling of spirits and, ultimately, for social peace, which was severely shaken by the Protestant Reformation that began in the 16th century. In an attempt to provide a better contextualization, the social situation and its latent tensions that preceded the rupture with the Catholic Church were explained in the first chapters. Immediately after the split in Christianity, efforts were not made for tolerance, but rather for a return to the previous situation. Only when coexistence in the West with a Christianity that did not obey the Vatican became inescapable did religious tolerance emerge as an unavoidable and urgent solution. This paper aims to show the dynamics of transformation of intellectual efforts, their nuances and intensities, in correspondence with the social configuration of different periods. It also aims to affirm that it was in the 17th century, precisely when conflicts were most visceral, that efforts for tolerance were most vigorous. Therefore, this thesis aims to expose Pierre Bayle s commitment in this sense, placing him as the intellectual of greatest importance in the face of the greatest religious conflicts in the West. In addition, this paper aims to highlight the recurrence of skeptical arguments as instrumental in the works of the various intellectuals who permeated these pages.