Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary
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Chapters
- 1. Introduction 1:08 Free
- 2. Section 1: Of The Comparison So Often Made Between Atheism And Idolatry 14:46
- 3. Section 2 — Part 1 of 8: Let us say a word on the moral question set in actio... 9:26
- 4. Section 2 — Part 2 of 8: A hundred times has one spoken to you of the insolen... 9:16
- 5. Section 2 — Part 3 of 8: Ask a toad what beauty is, the to kalon 9:52
- 6. Section 2 — Part 4 of 8: To-day there are not perhaps a dozen copies of the V... 9:10
- 7. Section 2 — Part 5 of 8: A man born violent, hasty, presented himself before... 9:37
- 8. Section 2 — Part 6 of 8: One establishes whirlwinds of subtle matter, ramous... 9:38
- 9. Section 2 — Part 7 of 8: Why will he go beyond common sense in the three scie... 9:28
- 10. Section 2 — Part 8 of 8: Nevertheless, this world exists as if everything wer... 4:29
- 11. Section 1: Cromwell is painted as a man who was an impostor all... 9:18
- 12. Section 2 — Part 1 of 4: Oliver Cromwell was regarded with admiration by the... 9:20
- 13. Section 2 — Part 2 of 4: Imbeciles say: "My doctor has extricated my aunt fro... 9:29
- 14. Section 2 — Part 3 of 4: The old theological poets were in the necessity of g... 9:12
- 15. Section 2 — Part 4 of 4: Michael Angelo might say to Raphael: "Your envy has... 1:44
- 16. Section 1: It is clear that men, enjoying the faculties connect... 4:08
- 17. Section 2 — Part 1 of 12: All the poor are not unhappy 9:27
- 18. Section 2 — Part 2 of 12: What is quite certain is that these imposts were nev... 9:05
- 19. Section 2 — Part 3 of 12: We have blind men, one-eyed men, squint-eyed men, me... 9:28
- 20. Section 2 — Part 4 of 12: Cicero, who doubted everything, did not, however, do... 9:42
- 21. Section 2 — Part 5 of 12: Ever since men have reasoned, the philosophers have... 9:50
- 22. Section 2 — Part 6 of 12: The genius of this language is order and clarity; fo... 10:27
- 23. Section 2 — Part 7 of 12: The Phoenicians of Alexander's time claimed to have... 9:09
- 24. Section 2 — Part 8 of 12: When I looked round me and within me, I conceived th... 9:47
- 25. Section 2 — Part 9 of 12: The Sorbonne hastened to support Brother Martin, and... 9:21
- 26. Section 2 — Part 10 of 12: The early Christians, men and women, kissed each oth... 9:28
- 27. Section 2 — Part 11 of 12: It is not so copious and so flexible as Italian, or... 8:54
- 28. Section 2 — Part 12 of 12: To the shame of mankind, one knows that the laws of... 8:22
- 29. Section 1: "Unfortunate that I am to have been born!" said Arda... 2:01
- 30. Section 2 — Part 1 of 9: How has it been possible for one man to become anoth... 9:09
- 31. Section 2 — Part 2 of 9: Since then a new edition of Masenius was printed in... 9:24
- 32. Section 2 — Part 3 of 9: A: Who is this Jean-Jacques 10:33
- 33. Section 2 — Part 4 of 9: Yes, if they were not they would not be necessary to... 9:48
- 34. Section 2 — Part 5 of 9: This globe is only a vast field of destruction and c... 9:44
- 35. Section 2 — Part 6 of 9: When I wanted to compare and combine the systems of... 9:23
- 36. Section 2 — Part 7 of 9: A monk writes that Clovis, being in great danger at... 8:46
- 37. Section 2 — Part 8 of 9: I admired still more the intelligence which directs... 9:36
- 38. Section 2 — Part 9 of 9: "Not at all; I said to them simply--'Love God with a... 3:23
- 39. Section 1: Every sect, in whatever sphere, is the rallying-poin... 5:34
- 40. Section 2: Sect and error are synonymous 3:35
- 41. Section 1: This is a vague, indeterminate term, which expresses... 11:57
- 42. Section 2: The author of the article SOUL in the "Encyclopedia"... 4:04
- 43. Section 3: Of The Soul Of Animals, And Of Some Empty Ideas 6:40
- 44. Section 4: About The Soul, And About Our Little Knowledge 3:21
- 45. Section 5: Of Warburton's Paradox On The Immortality Of The Soul 3:18
- 46. Section 6: Of The Need Of Revelation 2:56
- 47. Section 7: Souls Of Fools And Monsters — Part 1 of 3 9:38
- 48. Section 7: Souls Of Fools And Monsters — Part 2 of 3 9:39
- 49. Section 7: Souls Of Fools And Monsters — Part 3 of 3 8:58
- 50. Section 1: It is said of Marcus Brutus that, before killing him... 2:35
- 51. Section 2: What is virtue? Beneficence towards the fellow-creature 10:46
Read chapter 1
This book does not demand continuous reading; but at whatever place one opens it, one will find matter for reflection. The most useful books are those of which readers themselves compose half; they extend the thoughts of which the germ is presented to them; they correct what seems defective to them, and they fortify by their reflections what seems to them weak.
It is only really by enlightened people that this book can be read; the ordinary man is not made for such knowledge; philosophy will never be his lot. Those who say that there are truths which must be hidden from the people, need not be alarmed; the people do not read; they work six days of the week, and on the seventh go to the inn. In a word, philosophical works are made only for philosophers, and every honest man must try to be a philosopher, without pluming himself on being one.
This alphabet is extracted from the most estimable works which are not commonly within the reach of the many; and if the author does not always mention the sources of his information, as being well enough known to the learned, he must not be suspected of wishing to take the credit for other people's work, because he himself preserves anonymity, according to this word of the Gospel: "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth."
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