Letter from Voltaire to Rousseau

Voltaire

Newcomb Livraria Press

Par šo e-grāmatu

A new translation directly from the original French manuscript of Voltaire's 1766 Letter from Voltaire to Rousseau. 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. A public letter where he criticized the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau for his political views, personal behavior (he abandoned his family) and naive social philosophy. This letter sparked a public feud between two of the most prominent Atheist philosophers of the time, and highlighted the tensions between different schools of Enlightenment thought which were never resolved.

Par autoru

Voltaire (1694-1778), born François-Marie Arouet, was a towering figure in the European Enlightenment, renowned for his wit, satirical genius, and fierce advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade. Born on November 21, 1694, in Paris, Voltaire was educated by the Jesuits at the Collège Louis-le-Grand, where he demonstrated an early talent in literature and theater. Despite a brief stint studying law, he devoted himself to writing, rapidly gaining fame for his sharp wit and eloquence. Voltaire's literary career was marked by numerous conflicts with French authorities, leading to periods of imprisonment and exile. His most famous stay at the Bastille prison was due to his satirical verse, which mocked the French Regent. This propensity for critique often saw him in conflict with the establishment, but it also earned him a reputation as a champion of the oppressed and a critic of religious and political dogma, including the Atheistic dogmatism of the French Revolution.