On the Soul: A New Reader's Edition

Written around 1774, On the Soul is Voltaire's incisive foray into the realm of metaphysics and the philosophy of mind, topics as contentious in the 18th century as they are timeless. Acknowledging the sensitivity of questioning the soul's nature, Voltaire published this piece under a pseudonym, adopting the persona "Soranus, physician to Emperor Trajan," as the supposed author. This clever frame allowed him to study ideas that might otherwise have invited censure: by hiding behind the voice of a learned Roman doctor, Voltaire could dissect religious and philosophical doctrines about the soul with clinical detachment and a touch of historical whimsy. The text itself reads as a learned discussion, often addressing the reader as though presenting empirical observations and stoic reflections from antiquity. Voltaire (as "Soranus") studies whether the soul is an immortal, immaterial essence or simply the result of physical processes, a debate that in his day pitted theologians against materialist philosophers.

Alongside On the Soul, the volume provides an afterword tracing Voltaire's intellectual relationships with Enlightenment thinkers and philosophers (including Locke, Diderot, Rousseau and Newton), containing research into his influences and economic attachments, a complete timeline of his life and works, a glossary of Enlightenment terminology, and a detailed index of all of Voltaire's writings. In On the Soul, Voltaire's satire is presented in contemporary English with attention to the clarity and movement of the original. In this edition, On the Soul is situated within Voltaire's wider literary and philosophical influence, including later theological debates.