Voltaire philosophy dictionary

Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire

AuthorVoltaire, 1694-1778Title Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary Note Reading ease score: 65.3 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. Note Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_philosophiqueCredits Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Lisa Reigel and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.netSummary "Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary" by Voltaire is a philosophical treatise written in the late 18th century. This work represents a collection of reflections on various topics, touching on moral, ethical, and intellectual considerations relevant to both the individual and society. It seeks to challenge established norms and provoke thought, inviting readers to reflect on a multitude of subjects from authority and reason to the nature of animals and love. At the start of the book, the preface sets the stage by arguing that philosophy is fundamentally meant for the enlightened few, not the masses, suggesting a separation between the philosophical elite and the general populace. The author emphasizes the importance of personal reflection and the need for critical thinking in engaging with philosophical ideas. Following the preface, a listing of topics reveals the range of themes explored in the dictionary, each entry addressing significant philosophical queries that challenge social mores and the foundations of understanding in a rapidly evolving world. (This is an automatically generated summary.) LanguageEnglishLoC ClassB: Philosophy, Psychology, ReligionSubject Philosophy -- Dictionaries CategoryTextEBook-No.18569Release DateJun 12, 2006Copyright StatusPublic domain in the USA.Downloads1252 downloads in the last 30 days.Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!
    Voltaire philosophy dictionary

Philosophical Dictionary

March 5, 2020
There is the history of opinions, which is hardly anything but a collection of human errors.

I turned to this book, partly, as an antidote to Henry James’s prose. Where James is convoluted, orotund, and ambiguous, Voltaire is quick, sprightly, and specific. His prose rolls along in a series of witty epigrams that makes for easy reading, no matter the content. No wonder he became so famous.

This book is a kind of personal Encyclopédie—a series of essays on various topics, arranged alphabetically. Unlike Diderot’s project, however, this work is not meant to inform or instruct; it is a work of propaganda. Voltaire takes every opportunity to argue for his customary opinions, which I doubt will resonate with most contemporary readers. An enemy of religion, Voltaire is nevertheless convinced that a belief in God is necessary. An enemy of tyranny, Voltaire was also very skeptical about the prospects of democracy.

A man of letters rather than a philosopher, Voltaire’s arguments are rather weak and shallow. A master of satire, he is far more effective at making fun at the absurdities of human life than he is in offering anything to replace them. What compels, then, is a wit of historical proportions fired by righteous indignation and a sparkling intelligence. Personally I find it to be refreshing, even if I do not get any concrete ideas or information from the book. Voltaire was a force rather than a thinker; and one enjoys the man present in his writings more than anything that can be abstracted away. That is quite enough for me.

Dictionnaire philosophique

Work by French philosopher Voltaire, first published in 1764

The Dictionnaire philosophique (Philosophical Dictionary) is an encyclopedic dictionary published by the Enlightenment thinker Voltaire in 1764. The alphabetically arranged articles often criticize the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism, Islam, and other institutions. The first edition, released in June 1764, went by the name of Dictionnaire philosophique portatif. It was 344 pages and consisted of 73 articles. Later versions were expanded into two volumes consisting of 120 articles.

The first editions were published anonymously in Geneva by Gabriel Grasset. Due to the volatile content of the Dictionnaire, Voltaire chose Grasset over his usual publisher to ensure his own anonymity. There were many editions and reprints of the Dictionnaire during Voltaire's lifetime, but only four of them contained additions and modifications. Furthermore, another work published in 1770, Questions sur l'Encyclopédie, which contained reshaped and modified articles from the Encyclopédie always in alphabetical order, led many following editors to join this and the Dictionnaire (plus other minor works) in a unique opus. The Dictionnaire was a lifelong project for Voltaire. It represents the culmination of his views on Christianity, God, morality and other subjects.

History and origins

The Enlightenment saw the creation of a new way of structuring information in books. The first work to employ this method was the Dictionnaire Historique et Critique (1697) by Pierre Bayle, in which the information is ordered alphabetically. Other important works using a similar structure followed, such as the Encyclopédie by Diderot and Jean d'Alembert. Having witnessed first-hand the popularity and many advantages of this form, Voltaire used this information while preparing the Philosophical Dictionary in 1752, alt

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    • Milton, on the Reproach of Plagiarism Against
    • Mohammedans
    • Mountain
    • Nakedness
    • Natural Law
    • Nature
    • Necessary
    • New Novelties
    • Philosopher
    • Power, Omnipotence
    • Prayers
    • Precis of Ancient Philosophy
    • Prejudices
    • Rare
    • Reason
    • Religion
    • Sect
    • Self-Esteem
    • Soul, Section 1
    • Soul, Section 2
    • Soul, Section 3
    • Soul, Section 4
    • Soul, Section 5
    • Soul, Section 6
    • Soul, Section 7
    • States, Governments
    • Superstition
    • Tears
    • Theist
    • Tolerance
    • Truth
    • Tyranny
    • Virtue
    • Why?
    • Declaration of the Admirers, Questioners and Doubters Who Have Amused Themselves by Propounding to the Scholars the Above Questions in Nine volumes