Hoax Busters: Afternoon Commute with Jose Barrera

gallier2November 3, 2015 at 6:08 AM

Voltaire and the enlightenment mouvement was mainly to introduce (economic) liberalism in the french society. The rioting that utimately lead to the Revolution started in fact when the physiocrats (Turgot) managed to get Louis XVI to adopt liberalisation of the wheat market.
Here some typical citations of Voltaire that the enlightened do not cite that often:
“Il est à propos que le peuple soit guidé, et non pas qu’il soit instruit; il n’est pas digne de l’être”
"It is relevant that the common be guided, and not that he be instructed; he is not worthy of it"
“Quand la populace se mêle de raisonner, tout est perdu”
"When the mob mixes to reason, all is lost"
“L'esprit d'une nation réside toujours dans le petit nombre qui fait travailler le grand, est nourri par lui, et le gouverne."
"The spirit of a nation still resides in that the small number makes the great (number) work, is nourished by it, and does govern it."

Enlightenment in general and Voltaire especially is Elitist to the core.