A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 06

Voltaire, 1694-1778Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 444K words
Chapters: 45

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 06 by VoltaireAuthor: Voltaire, 1694-1778,Language: English, Class: B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Release Date: Mar 28, 2011

Editor's review

This is the English translation of Volume 6 of Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary, a public-domain e-book. The book unfolds in entries, with Voltaire discussing religion, morality, metaphysics and many issues of human society in a sharp, agile style that combines the critical spirit of the Enlightenment with literary interest. Its value lies not in building a rigorous system but in stimulating independent thought through short, pithy entries; readers can browse at will or read closely by theme. This volume suits research materials on Western Enlightenment thought and French literature, and also ordinary readers interested in philosophical essays. Note that the arguments often target the specific context of the eighteenth century, and some allusions and polemical targets require background knowledge; read with notes or related historical materials. The e-book is easy to search and excerpt, suitable for thematic reading and note-taking.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Ordinary readers interested in the Enlightenment and Voltaire's thought
Writing and general-education learners needing material for philosophical essays
Undergraduates studying Western intellectual history or French literature
Readers who like short-entry reading and can browse at any time

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for systematic philosophy textbooks or a complete theoretical framework
Readers completely unfamiliar with the context of eighteenth-century religious polemics who are unwilling to look things up
Readers who prefer coherent narrative and find the jumping structure of entries hard to follow

Reading tips

Read the contents first and choose entries on religion, morality or society that concern you for close reading.
Keep a notebook and record Voltaire's arguments and examples by theme for cross-comparison.
When encountering unfamiliar allusions, consult relevant historical or religious background; no need to finish it in one go.
Compare an entry with contemporary discussions and write down your own rebuttal or further thoughts.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a complete work or an excerpt?

This is the English translation of Volume 6 of Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary, part of the whole dictionary, not a single-volume edition of the entire book. Readers should treat it as one volume in a series, read by entries, and not expect continuous chapters.

Can I read it without a philosophy background?

Yes, but patience is required. Voltaire's entries often unfold through irony and polemic and involve eighteenth-century religious and political background. Start with shorter entries with clear themes, use notes or introductions, and gradually get used to his argumentative style.

How difficult is the English version?

This is a public-domain English translation whose language bears the syntactic marks of eighteenth- to nineteenth-century English, with many long sentences and allusions. Readers with university-level English can get through with a dictionary and background materials, while professional researchers can better appreciate its rhetoric and argumentative strategies.

Comments

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About the author

Voltaire, 1694-1778 Author

Voltaire (1694–1778) was a highly influential French writer and thinker of the Enlightenment, known for his sharp satire, witty argumentation, and lucid prose. The collection holds 44 of his works, including Candide, ou l'optimisme, Zadig, and Letters on England. Candide uses its protagonist's extraordinary adventures and black humour to question blind optimism; Zadig employs an Oriental tale to explore fate and reason; and Letters on England reflects on French religious and political conditions through observations of English society and thought. Spanning philosophical tales, letters, and essays, these works are concise yet trenchant in language and have had a profound influence on later European literature and the spread of Enlightenment ideas. Because public information is limited, details of his early life and specific biography are not elaborated here.