The Function of Skepticism in Part I of Don Quijote

THE AIM OF THIS essay is to clarify one of the functions of skepticism in Part I of Don Quijote. More specifically, even though there are many studies about the presence of skepticism in the writings of Cervantes, (1) there is one aspect of that philosophy that has not received all the attention it deserves: the way in which it gives thematic continuity and structure to the novel. As we shall see, Cervantes took deliberate advantage of skeptical philosophy to create a contrast between the story of Don Quijote and the character "Don Quijote." On the one hand, Don Quijote's dogmatism drives him from one adventure to the next, which gives continuity to the narration, and on the other, the story of Don Quijote is presented as being un-dogmatic. This structural contrast works best in a culture where skeptical doctrine is well-known and influential, which is the case of Europe when the book was written. (2) Skepticism rejects authority as a valid mechanism to obtain truth. Argumentation and direct observation ought to be used instead. The reason why authority is rejected in favor of argumentation and observation is because the former represents the most anti-skeptical attitude one can take: dogmatism (believing that something is true only because an authority says that it is true). (3) If we keep this in mind, then the structural contrast between the skeptical story and Don Quijote's dogmatic character can be appreciated more easily.