Table of Contents
What does if God did not exist it would be necessary to invent him?
proverb A sentiment expressed by 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire that emphasizes the human need to believe in a divine being. People can’t help it—they need something bigger than themselves to believe in, so if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.
Who said if there were no God it would be necessary to invent one?
Voltaire profanely said that if there were no God it would be necessary to invent one; convictions of similar cogency drove the Hobbean man to bow his neck to the dictatorship of the neologist.
Why did Voltaire say if God did not exist it would be necessary to invent him?
Originally Answered: What did Voltaire mean when he said that “if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him?” He meant exactly what this world did. He may have had his point, but it was also a sharp observation about ourselves – good or bad, this is the reality.
What phrase do we attribute to Voltaire but was actually invented by an English woman in 1906?
She also wrote The Friends of Voltaire, which she completed in 1906. In The Friends of Voltaire, Hall wrote the phrase: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” as an illustration of Voltaire’s beliefs….
Evelyn Beatrice Hall | |
---|---|
Pen name | Stephen G. Tallentyre |
Occupation | Writer |
Why did Voltaire believe in God?
He was not an atheist, in part because he thought that some minimal belief in a deity was useful for social cohesion. Voltaire’s God created the world, instilled in us a sense of good and evil, and then basically took a back seat.
What did Thomas Hobbes believe in?
Throughout his life, Hobbes believed that the only true and correct form of government was the absolute monarchy. He argued this most forcefully in his landmark work, Leviathan. This belief stemmed from the central tenet of Hobbes’ natural philosophy that human beings are, at their core, selfish creatures.
Did Voltaire really say I may not agree with what you have to say but I will defend to the death your right to say it?
“I don’t agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Unfortunately, the quote isn’t real — or at least, it’s not really Voltaire. It comes from a 1906 biography by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, in which it was intended to represent a summary of his thinking on free speech issues.
Did Voltaire say I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it?
In The Friends of Voltaire, Hall wrote the phrase: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” as an illustration of Voltaire’s beliefs. This quotation – which is sometimes misattributed to Voltaire himself – is often cited to describe the principle of freedom of speech.