A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary
Recommended by Nicholas Cronk, and 1 others. See all reviewsHere is the only available English translation of one of the landmarks of European Enlightenment thought, Voltaire's 1764 edition of A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary. Highly entertaining and still highly relevant, the "dictionary" actually consists of a sequence of short essays, arranged in alphabetical order, covering everything from Apocalypse and Atheism to Tolerance and Tyranny. The unifying thread of these articles is Voltaire's vitriolic critique of established religion: ridicule of established dogma, attacks on superstition, and pleas for toleration. Witty and ironic, this is... more
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Nicholas Cronk This book is a series of short squibs on different topics all, broadly speaking, concerning the Bible and the history of the church, and all designed to make you reflect on what pious Catholics thought were absolute certainties. There’s an absurdist side to Voltaire’s humour that is very modern and completely speaks to us. (Source)