A giant from a star system near Sirius, tall enough to step across oceans, is banished from his home planet after writing a scientific work that offended its scholars. On his travels he meets a smaller inhabitant of Saturn, who is still a thousand times bigger than a human, and the two reach Earth. They are surprised to discover that tiny creatures live there, and they hold a conversation with a ship of philosophers who offer conflicting views on the soul. Voltaire's 1752 tale pokes fun at human vanity and metaphysical quarrels.
It is a short read suited to anyone who enjoys satire, Enlightenment thought, or the origins of science fiction. You finish with a sharp sense of how relative size and perspective can deflate grand claims, delivered with Voltaire's dry smile.
Deep, outward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Systems Thinker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2000
- Publisher
- Le Livre de Poche
- Language
- FR
Quotes by Voltaire
More →Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
Common sense is not so common.
Dictionnaire Philosophique
