Of all the untruths that are shared by both Christians than atheists hysterical bounded "Voltaire was an atheist" is one of the most annoying. Here is a small presentation on the subject, history that I can copy the first necklace that bothers me.
It is obviously very difficult to quote Voltaire, since most of the time, it is ironic and that he regularly puts his words into the mouths of other characters. You'll have to trust me or go check the citations in context.
"The world embarrasses me, and I can not think
Let this clock exists and has developed a watchmaker. "
Voltaire fought "against the infamous" he mocks the clergy but also of the biblical texts. In particular, he criticizes with a ferocity rare Old Testament, contradictions and fables immoral in it.
But for him, the reaction of a "wise" in the face of foolish believers is not atheism.
Our teachers attribute to God their nonsense and their fury, so God is the opposite of what they advertise, then God is as wise and as good as they say, crazy and mean. This explains the wise. But if a fanatic hears them, he denounced a magistrate Sergen t of priests, and the sergeant makes a slow burn, believing revenge and imitate the divine majesty that contempt .*
Anti-bigotry yes , often anti-clerical, anti-Christian if you will. Atheist? Never.
The actual position of Voltaire's hard to pinpoint. But we can highlight two essential points:
deist Voltaire is convinced that the reason leading to the conclusion that God exists (which smells opinion Catholicism) and his vision of God is ultimately very Christian.
He also believes the social utility of religion , arguing that atheists have far fewer reasons to act morally than religious believers. For a defense of the morality of atheists, we must look at Diderot.
Bayle examines whether idolatry is more dangerous than atheism [...] Obviously it would be infinitely better for the Greeks to fear Ceres, Neptune and Jupiter, to fear nothing at all. It is clear that the sanctity of an oath is required, and we must rely more on those who think that perjury will be punished, and those who think they can make a false oath with impunity. There is no doubt that in a civilized city, it is infinitely more useful to have a religion, even bad, than to have none at all.
It therefore appears that Bayle should examine what is the most dangerous fanaticism or atheism. Fanaticism is certainly a thousand times more fatal, for atheism does not oppose the crimes, but bigotry makes them commit. **
Also in the logic of the social utility of religion, Voltaire approves small parish priests who teach morality to the people (as opposed to the clergy rich), even if they would like to make it even more helpful in making children.
Finally, like many other thinkers of his time, he discusses the limits of human knowledge to make fun of those who claim to be exceeded. This is true for theologians who seek to justify the existence of evil or to understand the nature of the soul, for the pedants who claim to know how a baby forms in the uterus (since no one knew at the time). Let
at the end of almost every chapter of metaphysics both Roman letters judges when they did not intend to cause: NL, non liquet, it is not clear. ***
It also makes Voltaire championed tolerance, he argues in effect that it exists among the various sects of Christianity. But care should be taken not to distort the language. Tolerance does not want to say much today, or rather means anything and everything.
Voltaire wants believers s'étriper stop in the streets, but the letters étripages by proxy, no problem! It is an aggressive tolerance, which has nothing to do with the sort of silent bliss castrated and that's being built today as a model.
And overlooked his personal adversaries, oh, Voltaire is anything but what we call "tolerant". What I hear people harping on "even if I do not agree with what you say, I will fight for you to say" (and other variants) ... The new fashion is to clarify that the quote is apocryphal, but while continuing to worship Voltaire as something that could say.
In truth, every time, even the lowest, are good for people that disqualify Voltaire in the nose. Whoever contradicts our charming philosopher in terms of ideas short many risks, in response, of being branded homosexual moron who has no friends, much less literary talent. (Voltaire in the era of the internet and blogs, I see that!)
end on a quick note irony: Voltaire is the author of the piece Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet . Can we still afford such as Today? It's already a miracle that the work is still studied. But "do not worry" they say, "it really does not speak of Islam, was a bias to convict hijacked Christianity." Phew. Voltaire was not Islamophobic. All is well in the land of tolerance and religious-secular-inherited-of-the Enlightenment.
* Philosophical Dictionary, article Atheist, Atheism, Part II **
Philosophical Dictionary, article Atheist, Atheism Part I
*** Philosophical Dictionary, article Well (everything is)
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