Alan Charles Kors: Voltaire’s ’Philosophical Letters,’ Part I

Ralston College presents a two-part series of lectures by Alan Charles Kors on Voltaire’s great work ’The Philosophical Letters.’ Profoundly impressed by the English scientific and philosophical revolutions of the seventeenth century, Voltaire sought to explain and to popularize new British thinking to his French readers. He argued that sound and innovative thinkers were more important to humanity than its political or military heroes and that preferring the philosophers of one’s native land over those of another nation was a barrier to the advance of truth and knowledge. In this first lecture, Professor Kors explores the reasons for Voltaire’s fascination with the English empirical tradition, which is exemplified by Francis Bacon, John Locke, and Isaac Newton. This lecture and discussion were recorded with a live online audience on April 21st, 2022. Authors and Works Mentioned in this Episode Alan Charles Kors, ‘Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment’ Voltaire, ‘The Philosophical Letters’ Voltaire, ‘Oedipus’ Isaac Newton, ‘Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy’ Francis Bacon, especially ‘Novum Organum’ John Locke, especially ‘An Essay Concerning Human Understanding’ René Descartes, ‘Discourse on the Method’ René Descartes, ‘Meditations Upon First Philosophy’ René Descartes, ‘Principles of Philosophy’ Links of Possible Interest: Dr Kors’ Profile at FIRE Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment Ralston College Ralston College Short Courses Ralston College Humanities MA Stephen Blackwood Timeline 0:00 – Introduction 3:38 – Kors’ lecture: Background of the ‘Philosophical Letters’ 5:52 – Voltaire biography 12:19 – Voltaire on the role of philosophy 16:36 – Voltaire’s heroes in English philosophy 18:15 – Philosophy as mastery over nature; example of inoculation 28:06 – Francis Bacon: the scientific framework 34:12 – John Locke: superiority of sense experience in knowledge acquisition 41:44 – Isaac Newton: the fruit of Lockean empiricism **Discussion** 50:50 – What would Voltaire make of the current claim that knowledge is a construct? 54:57 – Unusual ordering of ‘Philosophical Letters’ 59:30 – The anti-aristocratic character of the scientific method? 1:02:39 – How does one ask the right questions? 1:06:38 – Balance between respect for past and challenging of its assumptions 1:14:16 – Can we know moral truths through Voltaire’s philosophical process? 1:23:15 – The role of humor in Voltaire’s argumentation 1:27:05 – Voltaire on the blank slate theory; empiricism vs ‘lived experience’ 1:31:05 – English toleration exaggerated by Voltaire? #RalstonCollege