Context of Voltaire's quote

[questfortruth]

Obviously the quote "If God does not exist, He must be invented." was small part of a book or a paper.
What was the nearby part of the paper? Was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He does not exist, He is invented."
Or was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He exists."
???

 

[Spirit of Light]

Obviously the quote "If God does not exist, He must be invented." was small part of a book or a paper.
What was the nearby part of the paper? Was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He does not exist, He is invented."
Or was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He exists."
???

If God exists for you, that is the most important what others believe is their belief.

 

[questfortruth]

If God exists for you, that is the most important what others believe is their belief.

Yes, I get your opinion. But do you know the real context of the quote?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Yes, I get your opinion. But do you know the real context of the quote?

Unfortunately no, I don't

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Obviously the quote "If God does not exist, He must be invented." was small part of a book or a paper.
What was the nearby part of the paper? Was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He does not exist, He is invented."
Or was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He exists."
???

Voltaire was not, in fact, referring to God, but rather to humans -- the apparent human need to have "something greater than itself to believe in."

I do not know why many of us do not happen to share that belief -- it may well be that there are just some people who, having thought about the mystery of non-existence, and realizing that for most of the history of the universe they did not exist, feel quite comfortable with the notion of not existing again.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Voltaire was not, in fact, referring to God, but rather to humans -- the apparent human need to have "something greater than itself to believe in."

I do not know why many of us do not happen to share that belief -- it may well be that there are just some people who, having thought about the mystery of non-existence, and realizing that for most of the history of the universe they did not exist, feel quite comfortable with the notion of not existing again.

That one was already covered by one of the classical philosopher, but I can't remember the name. I use a personally adapted version.

I don't want to die, if I can avoid it. I accept that I can die in some cases where I value something as more important than my own life in such a context. And I would like to die if the rest of my life involves too much suffering. But in general I hope to die of old age as a grumpy old man telling the young ones: In my youth we were tougher than you lot.

As for death as death, I believe that when I die, I don't exist anymore and thus it doesn't matter to that I am dead, because it can't matter to me, because I am no more.

 

[Revoltingest]

Voltaire was not, in fact, referring to God, but rather to humans -- the apparent human need to have "something greater than itself to believe in."

I do not know why many of us do not happen to share that belief -- it may well be that there are just some people who, having thought about the mystery of non-existence, and realizing that for most of the history of the universe they did not exist, feel quite comfortable with the notion of not existing again.

It's like the need to wear digital watches.
Many have it. No one knows why.
But I was born not wearing digital watches.
And I've continued not doing so my entire life.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

It's like the need to wear digital watches.
Many have it. No one knows why.
But I was born not wearing digital watches.
And I've continued not doing so my entire life.

So you only believe in yourself and nothing else as a value? No value is a value unless it is a concrete value to you as you?

And no, I don't consider that wrong or any other version of that. I am just asking to I might learn to understand how you do that, if it is the case.

 

[Revoltingest]

So you only believe in yourself and nothing else as a value? No value is a value unless it is a concrete value to you as you?

I don't see things that analytically.
(A paucity of premises from which to reason.)

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I don't see things that analytically.
(A paucity of premises from which to reason.)

Well, my values are informed by reason, but not based on reason. I have not been able to find value based on strict rationality and/or evidence.

 

[Revoltingest]

Well, my values are informed by reason, but not based on reason. I have not been able to find value based on strict rationality and/or evidence.

Reason is great.
But ya gotta have premises.

 

[Sheldon]

Obviously the quote "If God does not exist, He must be invented." was small part of a book or a paper.
What was the nearby part of the paper? Was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He does not exist, He is invented."
Or was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He exists."
???

That's not what he said, the quote is:

"If god did not exist it would necessary to invent him."

Voltaire was a deist, who advocated freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. He also famously said:

"whoever can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Obviously the quote "If God does not exist, He must be invented." was small part of a book or a paper.
What was the nearby part of the paper? Was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He does not exist, He is invented."
Or was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He exists."
???

It's from "Epistle to the author of the book, The Three Impostors."

Apparently, the book was published anonymously and was seen as very atheistic, which offended Voltaire.

In his reply to the book - which he published rather than send it to the author, since the author was anonymous, Voltaire argued that belief in God is necessary for societal control:

But you, faulty logician, whose sad foolishness
Dares to reassure them in the path of crime,
What fruit do you expect to reap from your fine arguments?
Will your children be more obedient to your voice?
Your friends, at time of need, more useful and reliable?
Your wife more honest? and your new renter,
For not believing in God, will he pay you better?
Alas! let's leave intact human belief in fear and hope.

Voltaire, Epître sur Les Trois Imposteurs

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

That's not what he said, the quote is:

"If god did not exist it would necessary to invent him."

Voltaire was a deist, who advocated freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. He also famously said:

"whoever can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

In that particular work, Voltaire seems to draw a pretty hard line between the evils of religion and what he saw as whatever he considered the form of theism:

• 
  My lodging is filled with lizards and rats;
  But the architect exists, and anyone who denies it
  Is touched with madness under the guise of wisdom.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Reason is great.
But ya gotta have premises.

Well, some of my premisses aren't really that. They are idealistic value beliefs. And for any context I use methods relevant to the given context, which might not apply to another context.

 

[Revoltingest]

Well, some of my premisses aren't really that. They are idealistic value beliefs. And for any context I use methods relevant to the given context, which might not apply to another context.

Well, there ya go.
Hard to make it analytical.

 

[exchemist]

Obviously the quote "If God does not exist, He must be invented." was small part of a book or a paper.
What was the nearby part of the paper? Was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He does not exist, He is invented."
Or was it:
"If God does not exist, He must be invented. But He exists."
???

What Voltaire meant was that to him, the existence of a supreme being was evident in the world. Voltaire was an Enlightenment deist who saw, in the uncovering of the order in nature by science, evidence of the work of a master intelligence.

Si Dieu n'existait pas, il faudrait l'inventer. Mais toute la nature nous crie qu'il y a une intelligence suprême, un pouvoir immense, un ordre admirable, et tout nous instruit de notre dépendence.

It seems to come from one of his "Epîtres", or open letters, published in the manner of St. Paul's "Epistles".

 

[syo]

God is necessary. Without the Gods, nothing can be explained.