COMPASSION

Affirmation of life is the spiritual act by which man ceases to live thoughtlessly and begins to devote himself to his life
with reverence in order to give it true value.
— Albert Schweitzer

5/02/2019

Voltaire - A Philosophical Dictionary (Dictionnaire philosophique)


Voltaire; A Philosophical Dictionary. 2nd ed., London: Printed for J. and H.L. Hunt, 1824



“Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.”

—Voltaire, 

Dictionnaire philosophique 

 

Voltaire's monumental Philosophical Dictionary was first published anonymously in Geneva in 1764, and became a lifelong project for Voltaire. The Dictionary form, pioneered by Bayle, was uniquely a phenomenon of interest, but it is not merely a product of its history, but its dictionary stands out from its predecessors. It is overtly populist, intended as an inexpensive pocket edition to 'entertain and instruct' any would-be philosopher. Its non-linear, abridged form allows Voltaire the freedom to express himself. 


His aims range from sharp criticism of the Church and religious prejudice - particularly in the light of the institutional anti-protestant injustice of the Calas Affair - to his espousal of tolerance, freedom of expression and deism. These two volumes reproduce the Dictionary in its entirety, from 'Abbot' to 'Virtu', together with a detailed exploration of the book's composition, structure and reception.




Link: http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/book/dictionnaire-philosophique-i-ii



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