A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 01

Оглавление

Voltaire. A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 01

A

A, B, C, OR ALPHABET

ABBÉ

ABBEY – ABBOT

ABLE – ABILITY

ABRAHAM

ABUSE

ABUSE OF WORDS

ACADEMY

ADAM

ADORATION

ADULTERY

AFFIRMATION OR OATH

AGAR, OR HAGAR

ALCHEMY

ALKORAN;

ALEXANDER

ALEXANDRIA

ALGIERS

ALLEGORIES

ALMANAC

ALTARS, TEMPLES, RITES, SACRIFICES, ETC

AMAZONS

AMBIGUITY – EQUIVOCATION

AMERICA

AMPLIFICATION

ANCIENTS AND MODERNS

ANECDOTES

ANGELS

ANNALS

ANNATS

ANTHROPOMORPHITES

ANTI-LUCRETIUS

ANTIQUITY

APIS

APOCALYPSE

ANTI-TRINITARIANS

APOCRYPHA – APOCRYPHAL

APOSTATE

APOSTLES

APPARITION

Отрывок из книги

Why has not the alphabet a name in any European language? Alphabet signifies nothing more than A, B, and A, B, signifies nothing, or but indicates two sounds, which two sounds have no relation to each other. Beta is not formed from alpha; one is first, the other is second, and no one knows why.

How can it have happened that terms are still wanting to express the portal of all the sciences? The knowledge of numbers, the art of numeration, is not called the one-two; yet the first rudiment of the art of expressing our thoughts has not in all Europe obtained a proper designation.

.....

It was by pronouncing letters according to the magical method, that the moon was made to descend to the earth. Virgil must be pardoned for having faith in this nonsense, and speaking of it seriously in his eighth eclogue:

In short, the alphabet was the origin, of all man's knowledge, and of all his errors.

.....