In his Dictionnaire Philosophique Portatif, which he began to circulate in July, 1764, and published anonymously later that year, Voltaire commented wittily and ironically on issues of morality and society . Here is his entry on torture. Note: "To apply the question" was double-speak for torture at that time.
Torture: The Romans never used torture except on slaves, but then slaves were not regarded as men. Nor does it appear that a judge in the criminal court regards as a fellow human being a man whom they bring to him haggard, pale, defeated, eyes downcast, the beard long and dirty, covered with the vermin that gnawed at him in his cell. He gives himself the pleasure of applying the great and the little torture, in the presence of a doctor who takes his pulse, up to the point where he could be in danger of death, after which they start again; as they say, 'It helps to pass an hour or two.'
The grave magistrate who has bought, for a certain amount of money, the right to carry out these experiments on his fellow-man, will tell his wife at dinner what happened that morning. The first time, Madame was revolted; the second, she acquired a taste for it, for after all women are curious; and then the first thing she says to him when he comes home in his judicial robes is: 'My little heart, haven't you had the question applied to anyone today?' The French, who pass, I do not know why, for a very humane people, are astonished that the English, who have had the inhumanity to take from us the whole of Canada, should have given up the pleasure of applying the question. [Ian Davidson, Voltaire in Exile, New York: Grove Press. 2004. page 116].
1 comment:
Such wit. . . Reading more "classical" writers such as Voltaire gives us so much to feel and think about. There's no quick way of summarizing their ideas, is there. . . Best to quote, as you've done here, to avoid missing anything!
"For after all women are curious. . . "
Thank you for this.
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