Voltaire: Rich Robbed by the Poor
on Monday, December 19, 2016Voltaire Money Quote saying speaking of his contemporary, Rousseau – calling him a bum who’d prefer a poor peoples revolt to overtake the rich. Voltaire said:
“A tramp who would like to see the rich robbed by the poor, the better to establish the fraternal unity of man” — Voltaire
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The quote from Voltaire is criticizing the views of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Voltaire is saying that Rousseau, who was often homeless and poor, wanted to see a revolt by the poor against the rich. However, Voltaire disagrees with this idea and sees it as undermining the social order.
He believes Rousseau just wants the fraternal unity of man as an excuse to rob the rich. The quote suggests Voltaire saw Rousseau’s political views as unrealistic and motivated more by his personal difficulties than a sincere vision for social change.