Voltaire "Philosophical Dictionary" PDF

The Philosophical Dictionary is an encyclopedic dictionary published in 1764. The alphabetically arranged articles often criticize the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism, Islam and other institutions.

The first edition, released in June 1764, was called Dictionnaire philosophique portatif. It was 344 pages long and consisted of 73 articles. The subsequent later versions were expanded into two volumes consisting of 120 articles.

The first editions were published anonymously in Geneva by Gabriel Grasset. Because of the Dictionnaire’s volatile content, Voltaire chose Grasset over his regular publisher to ensure his own anonymity. The dictionary was a lifelong project for Voltaire. It represents the culmination of his views on Christianity, God, morality and other subjects.