Battle of the French Enlightenment Philosphers: Voltaire vs. Rousseau

[JohnLocke]

Poll question: Battle of the French Enlightenment Philosphers: Voltaire vs. Rousseau

From the people who brought you "Battle of the Authors: Hemingway vs. Faulkner..."
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Voltaire vs. Rousseau

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. Best Voltaire quote...ever!

"Common sense is not so common"

Love that one because it so very true

[JohnLocke]

2. No...

The best Voltaire quote ever was, "I disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

By the way, welcome to DU! :toast: :toast: :toast:

[Reverend_Smitty]

6. That is a good one

And thanks for the welcome...I've finally found a home on the web...yay...:bounce:

[JohnLocke]

8. Try not to get banned too quickly!

Ah, just joking. :)

[NoPasaran]

7. Even better Voltaire quote

God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.

[Whitacre D_WI]

9. You're all wrong. THIS is the best Voltaire quote:

"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it."

[JohnLocke]

14. You're right. I give up.

[TN al]

3. I vote for

both

[JohnLocke]

4. Welcome to DU!

:toast: :toast: :toast:

[youngred]

5. Francois Marie Arouet

without a doubt.

[BBradley]

10. Voltaire

Candide is a funny book, and it's easy to read some 250 years later...

[myrna minx]

11. Guess who I voted for.

;-)

[JohnLocke]

12. Heh.

;)

[I AM SPARTACUS]

16. Ignatius J. O'Reilly...???

[DrWeird]

13. I'll take Rousseau by decision.

Voltaire's got that mean left hook, but he's got no stamina. Rousseau will rope a dope.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

15. We must tend our own gardens.....

The Smile of Irony! Voltaire!

Anybody here read Candide, or Will & Ariel Durants "Age of Voltaire".

[Elidor]

17. My only complaint with The Age of Voltaire

Is that there's not nearly enough Voltaire in it. But it is an excellent book.

My favorite Voltaire quote - or rather, the only good one I can think of off the top of my head, and there are so many:

A lottery is merely a tax on stupidity.

The only memorable thing I can recall by that miserable misanthrope, Rousseau, is:

Man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains.

Nice start, but he went downhill fast from there. The only fit punishment for being the kind of asshole Rousseau was...was being Rousseau.

[tishaLA]

18. I vote Rousseau because

I love Leibnitz. It's just an inherent thing with loving Deleuze--like loving Spinoza.

[The Lone Liberal]

19. Jacques Derrida has my vote!

No one ever has known what to hell he is talking about.