Online research in philosophy

This is the first comprehensive study in English of Voltaire's contes philosophiques--the philosophical tales for which he is best remembered and which include his masterpiece Candide. Pearson situates each story in its historical and intellectual context and offers new readings in light of modern critical thinking. He rejects the traditional view that Voltaire's contes were the private expression of his philosophical perplexity, and argues that it is narrative that is Voltaire's essential mode of thought. His book is a witty, lucid, and scholarly guide to the "fables of reason" through which Voltaire's skepticism undermined the contemporary religious and philosophical explanations of human experience.

lecture 1. The patriarch, an overview -- lecture 2. The education of a philosophe -- lecture 3. Philosophical letters, part I -- lecture 4. Philosophical letters, part II -- lecture 5. The years at Cirey -- lecture 6. From optimism to humanism -- lecture 7. Voltaire and the "philosophical tale" -- lecture 8. Voltaire at Ferney -- lecture 9. Voltaire and God -- lecture 10. Voltaire and history -- lecture 11. Voltaire and toleration -- lecture 12. Apotheosis.

The world of Voltaire -- A life of wit and drama -- The wandering exile -- Voltaire's drama and poetry -- Interpreting history, understanding science -- The crusading philosopher -- The impact of Voltaire's work.

Poem on the Lisbon disaster.--We must take sides.--The questions of Zapata.--Epistle to the Romans.--The sermon of the fifty.--Homily on superstition.--Homily on the interpretation of the Old Testament.--Homily on the interpretation of the New Testament.--A treatise on toleration.