Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary

By Voltaire

Book Overview

The Dictionnaire philosophique (Philosophical Dictionary) is an encyclopedic dictionary published by Voltaire in 1764. The alphabetically arranged articles often criticize the Roman Catholic Church 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 have been many editions and reprints of the Dictionnaire during Voltaire's life, but only four of them contained additions and modifications. Furthermore, another work published in 1770, Questions sur l'Encyclop die, which contained reshaped and modified articles from the Encyclop die 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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1533118655
• ISBN13: 9781533118653
• Release Date: May 2016
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

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.