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Voltaire on Turks...

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  • Voltaire on Turks...

    Voltaire (Jean-Marie Arouet), is one of the greatest French philosophers in the 18th century. He is considered the King of thought (le Roi de la pensée) because of the originality and the novelty of his thoughts and actions taken at a time when nobody would dare criticize the monarchy, the Catholicism…

    Interestingly but not surprisingly this great philosopher has warned everybody about Turks and has pointed out a few of their destructive, barbaric and invasive characters… In his remarks, he addresses directly to Greek massacres done by Turks. It seems, neither Armenians nor Greeks had taken Voltaire seriously at that period.
    Here are a few lines of Voltaire on the issue in French and then, an English translation (which is taken from Wikipedia).
    ....


    Voltaire qualifie les turcs de tyrans des femmes et ennemis des arts. Dans un poème dédié au prince Eugène, vainqueur des Turcs en 1716, il écrit :

    Poursuivez les musulmans
    Rompez bientôt la barrière
    Faîtes mordre la poussière
    Au concis insolents
    Et plein d’une ardeur guerrière
    Foulant aux pieds les turbans
    Achevez cette carrière
    Au sérail des Ottomans


    Il faut "...chasser de l’Europe ces usurpateurs barbares..." dira encore Voltaire. Il reproche en effet aux Turcs d’être les destructeurs du patrimoine antique de l’Empire chrétien d’orient. Là encore, parmi les écrits des auteurs les plus célèbres du 18ème siècle, on trouve des citations saisissantes : Voltaire va même jusqu’à écrire :

    "Je n’aime point un peuple qui n’a été que destructeur et qui est l’ennemi des arts" ou encore :

    "Je me borne à souhaiter très passionnément que les barbares turcs soient chassés incessamment du pays de Xénophon, de Socrate, de Platon, de Sophocle et d’Euripide. Si l’on voulait, cela serait bientôt fait ; mais on a entrepris sept croisades de superstition et on n’entreprendra jamais une croisade d’honneur". "Nous ne connaissons presque aucune ville bâtie par eux ; ils ont laissé dépérir les plus beaux établissements de l’Antiquité, ils règnent sur des ruines".


    In English:


    Voltaire characterised the Turks as: tyrants of the women and enemies of arts.

    He also spoke of the need: "to chase away from Europe these barbaric usurpers"

    He accused the Turks of having destroyed Europes ancient heritage from :"the Orient’s Christian realm" and wrote:
    "I wish fervently that the Turkish barbarians be chased away immediately out of the country of Xenophon, Socrates, Plato, Sophocles and Euripides. If we wanted, it could be done soon but seven crusades of superstition have been undertaken and a crusade of honour will never take place. We know almost no city built by them; they let decay the most beautiful establishments of Antiquity, they reign over ruins." In this passage Voltaire refers to the brutal 500 year Ottoman occupation of Greece.

    ....

    And Denis Diderot, another big french philosopher of the Enlightenment Century (18th) on ottoman empire:

    "N’allons pas vivre là, mon ami ! Ô le vilain pays ! Il y a une grande bête féroce qui dévore toutes les autres bêtes féroces qui sont autour d’elle ; et celles-ci, à l’exemple de la première, dévorent toutes celles qui les approchent, et ainsi de proche en proche ; c’est un pays où tout est dévorant et dévoré."
    Last edited by ARK; 10-17-2006, 12:28 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Voltaire on Turks...

    Very interesting..

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Voltaire on Turks...

      ARK jan, do you have the translations. It's not surprising though. 200 years ago Europeans had the same attitude towards Turks as Armenians have now.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Voltaire on Turks...

        Originally posted by karoaper
        ARK jan, do you have the translations. It's not surprising though. 200 years ago Europeans had the same attitude towards Turks as Armenians have now.
        There was a translation but you haven't noticed:

        In English:


        Voltaire characterised the Turks as: tyrants of the women and enemies of arts.

        He also spoke of the need: "to chase away from Europe these barbaric usurpers"

        He accused the Turks of having destroyed Europes ancient heritage from :"the Orient’s Christian realm" and wrote:
        "I wish fervently that the Turkish barbarians be chased away immediately out of the country of Xenophon, Socrates, Plato, Sophocles and Euripides. If we wanted, it could be done soon but seven crusades of superstition have been undertaken and a crusade of honour will never take place. We know almost no city built by them; they let decay the most beautiful establishments of Antiquity, they reign over ruins."
        In this passage Voltaire refers to the brutal 500 year Ottoman occupation of Greece.

        Comment

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