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Despite comparisons between Erasmus and Voltaire having become common-place in the course of the nineteenth century, this is the first full study to bring them together in their careers, their works, and their historic afterlives. Each was a force for change in his time and thus ranks among the masters of modern liberalism. Beginning with the continuities between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, award-winning scholar Ricardo J. Quinones joins Erasmus and Voltaire as voices of moderation and reason that remain capable of addressing the philosophical crises of twentieth-century thought.

A companion piece to Dualisms, Quinones' 2007 book, Erasmus and Voltaire differs in method: where its predecessor looked to inveterate, unyielding differences, this new work looks to similarities. In delving beneath the obvious differences between these two intellectual giants, Quinones uncovers the great practical and spiritual vocations that unite them.

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The first volume of this engaging survey covers Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, and Rousseau. As well as offering historical context and a cogent explanation for each school of thought, Durant provides biographical information, a gentle reminder that philosophers are people as well as thinkers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Readable and Insightful
Durant has a gift for explaining complex philosophical ideas simply and for writing in an entertaining fashion.He also has an intriguing approach to the field.Instead of writing encyclopedically, he picks a half dozen philosophers as representative of 2000 years of philosophy.

The jump from Plato and Aristotle to Francis Bacon, however, hardly does justice to the philosophical life of man during the 1000 years of the "Dark Ages."Durant too easily falls into the conceit of writing off the Middle Ages as a time of barbarism and backwardness.I'm more inclined to write off Rome as barbaric and to view the rise of a Christian Europe as having a far more salutary and civilizing effect on man.How is it possible to write the story of Western philosophy without acknowledging the indispensable role of Christ and the scholastics?

Durant should have jumped from Aristotle to Christ and then to Aquinas and Ockham.

Durant does spend a few passages on the Middle Ages, characterizing the theocracy of the day as a realization of the philosopher kings of Plato's republic.It's a striking thesis, though it reveals what is perhaps the ulimate fallacy of Durant's approach -- that ideas determine social structure as opposed to the other way around.The faith-based intelligentsia of the Middles Ages was particularly well suited to the secular hierarchies and power structures of the day.

I was skeptical of Durant's choice of Spinoza as such a pivotal philosopher, but Durant's argument is ultimately persuasive.Spinoza does square the circle of religion and science by reconciling the two and Durant is probably right to conclude that Spinoza defined modern thinking on this issue. Equating God with nature and with Newton's laws is a thoroughly modern approach, as is the tendency toward determinism and a healthy skepticism for organized religion.

I'm not convinced by the primacy he gives Bacon.Although not strictly a philosopher, Isaac Newton was the great mind of his day and had more influence on shaping modern notions of science than did Bacon.Also, Durant's decision to write off the British empiricists and the study of epistemology as not being "real" philosophy is hard to justify.

His choice of Voltaire as the embodiment of the Enlightenment and the shift to modern thinking about religion and society, and his contrasting of Voltaire with Rousseau, is excellent.

This is a worthwhile and interesting book.

Philosophy 101
This Audio CD is the first half of Durant's 1947 revised edition of "The Story of Philosophy" a book originally published in 1927. Not only has the text aged well, the narrator reads it well. Durant waxes a trifle poetical at times, but he delivers the goods.

The book works chronologically through the history of philosophy, summarizing much, but stopping to give the biographies (and synopses of the thought) of all whom Durant considers major philosophers. Along the way the auditor learns some interesting tidbits: E.g. Darwin wasn't the first to conceive of evolution by natural selection. That honor belongs to the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Empedocles.

The philosophers whom Durant profiles are a who's who in the pantheon of thinkers:
Chapter I: Plato
Chapter II: Aristotle
Chapter III: Bacon
Chapter IV: Spinoza
Chapter V: Voltaire

Chapters VI-X are set forth in Volume II of this audiobook, "The Story of Philosophy: From Kant to William James and the American Pragmatists."If you have a CD with MP3 capacity, you might rather buy the entire book in that format.

Durant later, in "The Lessons of History," lamented the fact that he overlooked the scholastics, and his omission of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas constitutes the greatest weakness of the work. Durant atoned for slighting Aquinas in "The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time" by ranking him as one of history's 10 most influential thinkers.
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A guide to reading "Candide" with a critical and appreciative mind encouraging analysis of plot, style, form, and structure. Also includes background on the author's life and times, sample tests, term paper suggestions, and a reading list. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Crazy School Assignment
This book had a very good theme to it, but it was very crazy and hard to follow.I would not recommened for young readers, but for older ones who have extra time on their hands.Overall it is an okay book. ... Read more

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A traditional Aborigine named KUNMANARA (protagonist) emerges from the Northern Desert of Australia and begins a Walkabout. At night, in the Dream Time, he converses with the philosopher, VOLTAIRE, who also teaches him French. While traveling around the world, he is imprisoned and tortured at Guantanamo in a case of mistaken identity. Escaping only to become a pawn in international politics, he finally finds sanity in the Stone Age. Along the way, he accidentally goes on hajj, becomes a rock star, and is even briefly worshipped as a demigod, all the while fleeing the ever ubiquitous men with guns. He finally returns to Australia and disappears into the Outback. A scathing indictment of political posturing and religious fanaticism, Voltaire s Walkabout is populated by an assortment of cowardly politicians, pompous celebrities, religious fanatics and, as noted, men with guns. The Nobel Savage turned on its head; the novel is ultimately a commentary on the absurdity of modern life. Questioning commonly held assumptions concerning the nature of progress and knowledge, Voltaire s Walkabout serves as a warning regarding the denigration of indigenous cultures. Misperceived as simplistic and primitive by those who meet him, the protagonist is the epitome of a transcendent being, a model of clarity for confused times. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Over 50 classic French stories and books are collected in this giant anthology. An active table of contents helps you get to the desired author/work easily.

Authors/works include:
Honore de Balzac:
Father Goriot
An Historical Mystery
Lost Illusions
The Physiology of Marriage: Part 1
The Physiology of Marriage: Part 2
The Physiology of Marriage: Part 3

Alexandre Dumas:
The Count of Monte Cristo
d'Artagnan Romances
The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years After
The Vicomte de Bragelonne
Ten Years Later
Louise de la Vallière
The Man in the Iron Mask

Gustave Flaubert:
Bouvard and Pécuchet
Herodias
Madame Bovary
Over Strand and Field
Salammbo
A Simple Soul
Temptation of St. Antony
Three short works

Jules Verne:
20,000 Leagues Under the Seas
Around the World in Eighty Days
From the Earth to the Moon
A Journey to the Interior of the Earth
The Mysterious Island

Madame de Lafayette:
The Princess of Cleves

Guy de Maupassant:
The Complete Stories of Maupassant

Jean Jacques Rousseau:
The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau
A Discourse Upon The Origin And The Foundation Of The Inequality Among Mankind
Emile

Victor Hugo:
The History of a Crime
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Les Miserables
The Man Who Laughs
The Memoirs of Victor Hugo
Napoleon the Little

Voltaire:
Candide
Letters on England
Micromegas: Philosophical History
Philosophical Dictionary
Socrates
Zadig

Emile Zola:
The Downfall
Germinal ... Read more

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Este es un clasico del humor. Son las espantosas y comicas aventuras de Candido, un optimista que cree en su Maestro. Volatire refuta con estas paginas la teoria filosofica de su epoca, que partia de un sofisma muy notable: si Dios es perfecto, no puede salir de sus manos una obra imperfecta. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Voltaire at his most sarcastic
This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities.A great story and important historical work in literature.Voltaire was a Renaissance Christian humanist who played a role in the development of the Enlightenment.

On the one hand, the structure of his novel Candide is Homeric, it is the journey narrative, the hero with a thousand faces, but it is a satirical restructuring of that classical motif of the hero on a quest.What is the importance of the quest in Candide?What is the quest about in the classical sense?The quest is about learning.In the classical sense the hero leaves, has to acquire some sort of knowledge, learn a set of skills that is going to help him or her enact the quest surmount the obstacles that they encounter at one point or another, and the finally what does the hero have to accomplish?What is out there the "Holy Grail" The prize, the whole quest is about attaining some sort of ultimate end or some sort of ultimate knowledge.Does it end there?No, you got to go back with that knowledge, because the quest is never just about attaining the goal, it's about bringing it home to make everybody better, to restore the community.The individual quest, the heroic quest in the classical sense always has a larger social corrective end.The purpose of the individual, the function of the individual all depends on his ability to return to the collective, whatever it is that he has found that he has acquired that is going to change the way things are.Now how does that compare to the journey or quest narrative in Candide?Contrary to the notion of what prepares us for the world, OK here is the important structure of the journey or the quest, and the critique of knowledge by Voltaire.It is contrary to the idea of the knowledge that we acquire prepares us for the world.That each new bit of knowledge that we acquire, prepares us for the next step, and prepares us for the next stage.Contrary to the idea that life is somehow to be understood or that human history is somehow to be understood as a journey organized around progress, around betterment advancement acquiring new knowledge more knowledge more science more learning, we're getting better again, Candide tells the story that goes in the opposite direction.So, then you acquire knowledge and then you spend the rest of the journey finding out that the knowledge is useless, bit by bit, and every lesson you've acquired has to be cast aside, everything you learn you have to abandon.Instead of gaining and getting better, it is throwing off, letting go, and getting worse.Where does Voltaire want us in the end to think of the notion and narrative of progress?


Of course, you know that Candide is steeped in so many of the political and philosophical controversies of the 1750's.One of his big critiques is of the philosopher Leibnitz who said that `this is the best of all possible worlds," the idea championed by Leibnitz was a simple version of the philosophy espoused by enlightenment philosophers that the existence of any evil in the world was a sign that god was not entirely good or very powerful.The idea of an imperfect god would be nonsensical.So if you are a philosopher who takes for granted that god exists, you would have to conclude logically; and here is where humanities and Christianity really start messing with each other in all kinds of obvious ways, that god is perfect if you logically conclude that god exists.Therefore, his creation, the world, and man must also be perfect.According to many enlightenment philosophers, people perceived imperfections of the world only because they do not get the plan.This is a teleological idea of the world.Now obviously Voltaire does not accept this theory, or that god or any god has to exist.Therefore, he makes fun of the idea that the world is completely good.Much of the novel is a satire addressed to the notion that the optimists who witness countless horrors and unbelievable injustice such as floggings, robberies, and earthquakes will always find a way to write it off.They will say, `oh well there must be part of a plan, even though none of these calamities seem to serve any good at all it must point to human cruelty ignorance and barbarism and points to the indifference of the natural world.Pangloss the philosopher in the book throughout the story is always trying to find some justification forthe terrible things that he sees and the arguments that he makes seem increasingly to be absurd, like his quote that "Syphilis needed to be transmitted from the new world to Europe so that Europeans couldtaste new world delicacies.What other things is Voltaire criticizing here that connects to some of the debates that define the enlightenment period of the 1750's Religion?Religion- He criticizes the whole hypocrisy of religion.In the book, Voltaire has a parade of corrupt hypocritical religious leaders who are like the Pope that has a daughter (should have been celibate).Hard line Catholic inquisitors, a Franciscan monk who should have vow of poverty but is a jewel thief.Here Voltaire provides countless examples of the immorality and hypocrisy of religious leaders, he does not really condemn believers per say, he is really out to attack church leadership and church hierarchy.For example Jacques, who is an Anabaptist is arguably one of the most generous and humane characters.

What else does Voltaire criticize or satirize?Wealth- money corrupts; Candide seems to have more problems when he has lots of money.Things get worse he gets unhappy.An interesting point, Voltaire was deeply involved in a debate with the many deep thinkers of his time, most notably was Rousseau, who lambasted the aristocracy.Voltaire himself really moved very comfortably among aristocratic circles and interestingly the French enlightenment philosophy really took off among the French aristocracy.Since they had the leisure time to contemplate so many of the new ideas in reason, science and rationalism and his notions of progress and advancement were ideas that were principally championed and discussed by members of the French aristocracy.Therefore, it was among some of the idle members of the French aristocrats that these enlightenment philosophers were able to find their most ardent followers.Despite the fact that the church and the state were not more often that not completely allied with each other, kings could be attracted on occasion to arguments that seemed to undermine the authority of the church.The fact that the aristocrats were very much unaware of the precariousness of their position tended to make them overconfident.Dabbling in some new ideas that were part of the enlightenment movement caused them not to take seriously the kind of jeopardy they were in or what the enlightenment would lead to in the championing of the common man and the overthrow of the French aristocracy.Because they found these ideas somewhat new, interesting, and exciting and they did not really see this as at all leading inexorably to the demise of the aristocratic class.Now of course it was thinkers like Rousseau not at all like Voltaire on this particular point that made his chief adversary.Rousseau distrusted the aristocrats out of a hunger to overthrow the class but because he believed that people of wealth betrayed decent traditional values.Rousseau opposed the theatre, which is Voltaire's lifeblood; he shunned the aristocracy, which Voltaire very much courted.He courted their attention he courted their interests.Rousseau argued for something dangerous like democratic revolution, and Voltaire argued that equality was impossible it would never come about.Rousseau argued that inequality was not only natural but that if it were taken too far it would make any decent government a total impossibility.Voltaire was very charming and witty, which led largely to his success in moving about aristocratic and social circles.Rousseau insisted on his own correctness and was not a charming person to be around; he was very intense and very serious about his ideas.Voltaire endlessly repeated the same handful of core enlightenment notions, where as Rousseau was a deeply original thinker.Who was always challenging his own way of thinking contradicting himself, coming up with ideas on the equality of education, the family, the government, and the arts in a matter that was much more radical than Voltaire was ever willing to go along with.They were both skeptics, and Voltaire is nothing if not a skeptic.

What does Voltaire do with the idea of philosophy in Candide?Philosophy- What is the value of philosophical speculation?It is useless for Voltaire; it is one of Pangloss' biggest flaws.Abstract philosophical argument is not based on any real world evidence.In the chaotic world of this novel, philosophical speculation repeatedly proves to be useless, and at times even dangerous.Time and again it prevents the characters from making any useful assessment of the world around them, it prevents them from bringing about any kind of change, it prevent them from thinking that they might try to bring about some social change.Pangloss is the character most susceptible to this kind of foolishness.Example, while Jacques is drowning, Pangloss stops Candide from saving him by proving that the bay was formed for Jacques to drown in.Therefore, at the end of course at the novels conclusion Candide rejects Pangloss' philosophies.If philosophical speculation is useless, what does Voltaire suggest you put in its place?Hard practical work in general.Therefore, it is somewhat surprising in that sense that this judgment against philosophy that is portrayed in the book becomes very dramatic when we think about Voltaire's own status as a philosopher.

What about the garden at the end of the novel?At the end of the novel Candide defines happiness in raising vegetables.On the one hand it is indicative of the turning away from the following of philosophy, from the abstract speculative nature of philosophy towards something hands on something pragmatic.Does the garden have a symbolic resonance to it?Is it related to the Garden of Eden?For Adam and Eve the garden is the beginning of their troubles, here it is the end of their troubles.It is the end of the narrative the end of their quest, their journey, and the end of their travails.This is where they wind up this is where they retreat.In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve do not have to work to have fruits of the garden; this garden requires work, and constant tending.In that I think the garden here represents much, more in a very different way than the biblical garden represents.An embrace of life, but an embrace of life of what?For all the horror, hardships, and nightmares that these characters experience throughout the entire course of the text, at the end, they embrace life; they take it they say yes.

The status of knowledge in Voltaire, what do we know?The garden is a final retreat from activism, or social engagement in the world.Finally, what Voltaire is saying is look go back to the basics.Do not try to change, analyze the world, or try to speculate about the nature of our existence.Retreat into your own sphere and do not mess with the world around you, because ultimately you are powerless, to do anything in this world.I think Voltaire is commenting on in a sense the Utopian impulse and imagination.Specifically as it influenced enlightenment philosophers of the period with respect to the notion of progress and advancement.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy, and literature.

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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1818 edition by Lefèvre; Deterville, Paris. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Philosophy is one of the most intimidating and difficult of disciplines, as any of its students can attest. This book is an important entry in a distinctive new series from Routledge: The Great Philosophers. Breaking down obstacles to understanding the ideas of history's greatest thinkers, these brief, accessible, and affordable volumes offer essential introductions to the great philosophers of the Western tradition from Plato to Wittgenstein. In just 64 pages, each author, a specialist on his subject, places the philosopher and his ideas into historical perspective. Each volume explains, in simple terms, the basic concepts, enriching the narrative through the effective use of biographical detail. And instead of attempting to explain the philosopher's entire intellectual history, which can be daunting, this series takes one central theme in each philosopher's work, using it to unfold the philosopher's thoughts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Miserable, False Hatchet Job.
This book has nothing to do with Voltaire, it is about the author's belief that the enlightenmant is a failed project. He also unforunately seems not to understand the definition of faith, as he routinely makes the error that one finds everywhere in the politically correct west, that science is just a form of faith itself. The author should read Sam Harris' The End of Faith and should refrain from writing books in the meantime! cheers.

You Have Got To Be Kidding!
Having read several of the other reviews posted here on John Gray's book, "Voltaire", it is hard to find words that would enhance the chorus of denigration. This is quiet literally a "dumb" book, meaning any who read this will be struck dumb by it's intellectual vacuousness. My only additional comment would be that the editor(s) of this series failed miserably. By allowing this book to be published under the guise of representing a critical appraisal of a philospher, something the Great Philosophers series purports to be, ( I am referring, of course, to "critical" as in objective, not negative), they have called the whole series into question and cheapened the discussion of philosophy in general.

Not very useful to anyone
I bought this slim 53 page volume hoping to get a little background on Voltaire's life, work, and philosophy. But for a book so obviously intended as an introduction to Voltaire, Gray's book instead is a scathing criticism, using basic introductory level information on Voltaire and the Enlightenment era as examples to make his argument. His conclusion- that "Voltaire's 'philosophy' has little to teach us," and that his work was heavily flawed and derivative in its time, and too "difficult" and "irrelevant for the modern reader." If this is true, then why was the book commisionned, and why am I reading it? The book is neither a suitable introduction to Voltaire, or a scholarly work of any noticeable merit, since the author never goes even remotely in depth enough to explain his positions. I can't believe this was written by a college professor. What was he on? For a better introduction to Voltaire, read his novella Candide, an excellent and hilarious little novel that raises questions that perhaps Gray would prefer to avoid.

Chaos of unclear ideas
I read this book this morning and I found it very poor.He tells what Voltairewas thinking and ideas and concepts that he says Voltaire would not be able to understand or ever express, yet gives no clear examples to back up any of it.No one is expecting a chapter of examples, but at least give me ONE!

I hated this book.Gray lists all of Voltaire's faults and concentrates on the negative.His over-reliance on Nietzsche and his inclusion of de Sade(!) swayed me to the view that Gray does not understand the Enlightenment or the Philosophes in a thorough way.Potshots like "Nearly everything Voltaire wrote is unreadable today" made me angry.It's just nasty and not particularly valuable as a criticism since there are very few authors from that period that are still readable.Plus, someone once noted that Voltaire is not essential reading today because he WON.All the things he fought for are taken for granted today, essentially because he triumphed.Voltaire was the first soldier in the war for reason and he should be treated better than this.Gray just better be glad he's dead, because he would take him apart for this shabby piece of journalism.

If not for Voltaire, THIS book gets burned.
Alas, there are not few enough stars to rate this book fairly.It is a vacuous, bad joke.Who picked this small-minded and petty professor to write about a 'great one' in the history of human world changers?Gray sounds like one of those 'shallow, artificial and superficial 'professors' of knowledge who, 'like the gnats who ride in the race, only barely hanging on to the neck of the thoroughbred - and then criticize the way the the race was won'.Everyone involved in this sham-of-a-book should be ashamed - the author is clue-less as to the greatness and genius of Voltaire, and takes cheap and uninformed pot-shots at Voltaire.He pecks away from his little, isolated Ivory Tower - at one of the great thinkers/liberators in Western Civilization, at Voltaire, no less, who writes from the Bastille, and uses his wits to enlighten Europe and escape the Inquisition and the corrupt aristocarcracies who hounded him throughout his 70+ years of heoric satire.As they say..."When a pickpocket sees a saint - all he sees are the pockets"Don't waste your time or money, and please, do not support this publication.It's a disgrace and a diservice to a great soul who made it possible for trash like this to be published. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more