A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary

By Voltaire

Book Overview

Here is the only available English translation of one of the landmarks of European Enlightenment thought, Voltaire's 1764 edition of A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary. Highly entertaining and still highly relevant, the "dictionary" actually consists of a sequence of short essays, arranged in alphabetical order, covering everything from Apocalypse and Atheism to Tolerance and Tyranny. The unifying thread of these articles is Voltaire's vitriolic critique of established religion: ridicule of established dogma, attacks on superstition, and pleas for toleration. Witty and ironic, this is very much a work of combat, part of Voltaire's high-profile political struggle in the 1760s to defend the victims of religious and political intolerance. This new translation is based on the definitive French edition of 1764 that provoked widespread controversy and condemnation. In his Introduction Nicholas Cronk considers the nature of Voltaire's engagement in political debate, literary style, contemporary reaction, the lasting impact of the work and its continuing relevance to debates on religious intolerance. The volume also includes an up-to-date bibliography and full explanatory notes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199553637
• ISBN13: 9780199553631
• Release Date: September 2011
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Great read!

One of the best books I ever read. It changed the way I looked at the world. This man was a genious pure and simple. He also had great literary skills and a good sense of humour too.

Even relevant now

I'm not your typical philosophe reader, being a high school girl who usually prefers pop music to any sort of book, but there is something about voltaire's writings that appeals to me. Not also are there some great statements made in this book, but clues to what life was like back in his day. Even some of his inaccurate views are valuable because they show how people viewed concepts like Islam. His writing is witty, yet rational and even though sometimes difficult to interperet in modern language, if you read in serveral times and refer to a dictionary often you will understand what he is saying. Although some of the articles are irrelevent for today's world they are useful in historical context and there are many articles that are and always will be relwvent. Don't pass this book off as old fashioned, Voltaire never goes out of style.

Voltaire's masterpiece!

This volume is the great culmination of Voltaire's beliefs. The humor, honesty, cynicism, and perspective that Voltaire is noted for comes shining through in this excellent work. It is a series of articles on subjects important to philosophers of Voltaire's time, such as religion, humanism, and ethics. This book is about 350 pages in Penguin's typical trade-paperback format. I treasure my copy of this book, and I think you will too if you at all like philosophical discussion.