Voltaire

[gepcy loc]

I have this new thing for Voltaire...... The philosopher not the singer. ( Although hes not that bad him self.) I really loved his book Candide, and adored his Dictionnaire philosophique as well. I think im going to add it to my Santa list. What do you guys think of him? I wont yell if you hate him.

 

[Ogion]

Allegedly "Your opinion disgusts me but i will let myself be murdered in order to let you freely voice it" (paraphrased from memory) is from him.(i like this quote btw). Apart from that, he's a man of enlightenment, of course i like him
(Although as with all i haven't read actually much from him)(Too many interesting things, too little time)

Ogion

 

[Agent Intellect]

Allegedly "Your opinion disgusts me but i will let myself be murdered in order to let you freely voice it" (paraphrased from memory) is from him.(i like this quote btw). Apart from that, he's a man of enlightenment, of course i like him
(Although as with all i haven't read actually much from him)(Too many interesting things, too little time)

Ogion

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

 

[Ermine]

Actually, that's a common misquotation of Voltaire. It's actually first stated by Evelyn Beatrice Hall. But to be fair, she was writing about Voltaire.

 

[Ogion]

Well i remembered that it wasn't clearly Voltaire so i put in "allegedly" :P

Ogion

EDIT: also, 2222 posts for me, nice number, lol

 

[Ermine]

Just saying. And congrats on the consecutive numbers.

 

[Artifice Orisit]

I first encountered Voltaire at the end of Deus Ex (computer game) when I merged with the AI to become a benevolent totalitarian machine-god-thing.

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.

I relate this quote to the idea that in a nihilistic universe an individual must accept a god's responsibility for themself or create a god to entrust that responsibility with, though by doing so one would be throwing their fate to chance.

Although I think his intended meaning was that mankind created the idea of god as a means of providing a sense of security for ourselves, i.e. with things like death or worse hanging over us every day, believing there's a benevolent or at least appeaseable will out there somewhere gives people a sense of existential security.

Or I could be way off.

 

[Agent Intellect]

I first encountered Voltaire at the end of Deus Ex (computer game) when I merged with the AI to become a benevolent totalitarian machine-god-thing.

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.

I relate this quote to the idea that in a nihilistic universe an individual must accept a god's responsibility for themself or create a god to entrust that responsibility with, though by doing so one would be throwing their fate to chance.

Although I think his intended meaning was that mankind created the idea of god as a means of providing a sense of security for ourselves, i.e. with things like death or worse hanging over us every day, believing there's a benevolent or at least appeaseable will out there somewhere gives people a sense of existential security.

Or I could be way off.

I believe he said it to mean that, even if there were no God, people would live their lives as if there were anyway - more or less portraying that the necessity that there must be a God is so strong, if God ceased to exist, people would still worship hir anyway.

 

[Sugarpop]

Perspective

All of the other people have committed crimes, the Jews are the only ones who have boasted about committing them. They are, all of them, born with raging fanaticism in their hearts, just as the Bretons and the Germans are born with blond hair. I would not be in the least bit surprised if these people would not some day become deadly to the human race.

You [the jews] have surpassed all nations in impertinent fables, in bad conduct and in barbarism. You deserve to be punished, for this is your destiny.

Just saying.

 

[del]

Well, as a Jew, I still love him.

 

[Sugarpop]

Well, as a Jew, I still love him.

We can doublethink. He likely wouldn't feel the same way about you is all. But why admire people rather than concepts?

 

[gepcy loc]

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

Right on! I dont care who said it really, it is a good quote.

Just saying.

ya but.....

“Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd, and bloody religion that has ever infected the world”

“Of all religions, Christianity is without a doubt the one that should inspire tolerance most, although, up to now, the Christians have been the most intolerant of all men”

...See he's an equal opportunity tolerance warrior.

 

[Sugarpop]

... Where one notices a contrast between Christians and Christianity. He seems more inclined to see the Jews as a people or 'race'. Jews are 'born with fanaticism in their hearts' as a racial trait.

Seriously though; he was a swell chap and all, but not always above his contemporaries. I admit, however, that the way he contrasts Jews and blondes is almost 200 years ahead of his time.

 

[gepcy loc]

... Where one notices a contrast between Christians and Christianity. He seems more inclined to see the Jews as a people or 'race'. Jews are 'born with fanaticism in their hearts' as a racial trait.

Seriously though; he was a swell chap and all, but not always above his contemporaries. I admit, however, that the way he contrasts Jews and blondes is almost 200 years ahead of his time.

Blondes really?

 

[Artifice Orisit]

Originally Posted by Voltaire

I just found that amusing.

 

[Agent Intellect]

It's a sad fact that probably just about any philosopher, politician, inventor, or scientist of the past probably held reprehensible opinions on various matters. It's also quite probable that people would view any one of us in that way 100+ years from now. While saying it is an effect of their culture is a weak excuse, it's rather an ad hominem way to discredit some of their ideas that could be discussed on the merit of the idea alone, independent of who said it and what they personally believed.

 

[Sugarpop]

It's a sad fact that probably just about any philosopher, politician, inventor, or scientist of the past probably held reprehensible opinions on various matters. It's also quite probable that people would view any one of us in that way 100+ years from now. While saying it is an effect of their culture is a weak excuse, it's rather an ad hominem way to discredit some of their ideas that could be discussed on the merit of the idea alone, independent of who said it and what they personally believed.

I agree. But if we are to consider a thinker rather than the ideas, as seems to be the purpose of this thread, we must consider all the ideas, don't you think? We hail Voltaire as a progressive thinker, but we must also realize his human qualities. If this were a thread on freedom of speech, the case would be different. I am opposed to any cult of personality.

 

[del]

We can doublethink. He likely wouldn't feel the same way about you is all. But why admire people rather than concepts?

Your right, and I can't technically say whether or not I like him as a human being as I haven't met him and haven't a clue what he was really like.

I do appreciate his humor, his philosophy, his life story, and his place in the history of ideas, though. Jew hater or not.

Likewise we shouldn't dismiss everything he did simply because he was antisemitic.