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Written in response to Rousseau’s radical ideas in The Social Contract, Voltaire’s letter thanks Rousseau “for your new book against the human race” with razor-edged irony, only to dissect his arguments on government, society, and religion as dangerously impractical. Adopting the polite veneer of correspondence, Voltaire in fact crafts a public chastisement: he praises Rousseau’s eloquence even as he mocks the notion that civilization corrupts mankind, countering with his own belief in progress, refinement, and common sense. The context of its publication was itself an act of defiance – printed abroad and circulated widely, this letter was Voltaire’s way of ensuring that his rebuttal reached salons and coffee-houses across Europe, even if it never passed directly into Rousseau’s hands.
This modern Critical Reader’s Edition includes an illuminating afterword tracing Voltaire’s intellectual relationships with Enlightenment thinkers and philosophers (including Locke, Diderot, Rousseau and Newton), containing unique research into his influences and economic attachments, a comprehensive timeline of his life and works, a glossary of Enlightenment terminology, and a detailed index of all of Voltaire’s writings. This unique professional translation renders Voltaire’s sharp, satirical prose into modern language to preserve the original clarity and movement of the text. Combined with the scholarly amplifying material, this edition is a groundbreaking exploration of Voltaire’s classic works and his enduring artistic and philosophical influence, and influence on modern Protestant-Atheistic Theology.
