The complete collection of Voltaire's works

Latest release: May 9, 2024
Metaphysics
Series
17
Books

About this ebook series

A new translation directly from the original French manuscript of Voltaire's 1728 Philosophical Dialogues (original title "Dialogues philosophiques"). This edition also contains supplemental material on Voltaire including an afterword by the translator, a timeline of Voltaire's life and works, summaries of each of the works in his corpus, and a glossary of Philosophic terminology used by Voltaire. Voltaire wrote this during the beginning of the Enlightenment period, which was a time of seismic intellectual and philosophical change in central Europe. Philosophical Dialogues is a collection of theoretical conversations between various historical characters including Eramus, ancient philosophers, Protestant Reformers and Materialist European philosophers, in which they discuss topics such as religion, science, and morality. The work was important because it challenged traditional religious beliefs, contrasting vastly different worldviews and great thinkers, and sparked debate about the role of reason and science in society on top of the massive conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism. These dialogues are fascinating "fake" conversations between ideologies that remain tremendously relevant today.