Thesis
How China revolutionized France: the evolution of an idea from the Jesuit figurists to the enlightenment Sinophiles and the consequences
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2009
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100370
Abstract
From the eighteenth century onward, the Orient, including China, was studied and judged for both its positive and negative differences from the West. In their travelogues, the Jesuit Figurists highly praised Chinese philosophy and government; some even went so far as to suggest that China may have been the preserver of the true Noachide tradition. The Jesuits had various motivations for writing glowing reports on China. Some missionaries were simply trying to justify additional funding from Rome while others sought to understand China's role in the Christian religious tradition. Regardless of the Jesuits' motivations for writing such complimentary reports, the experiences and theories presented in the travelogues of those religious men that questioned the superiority of accepted Catholic Church and European systems of government were extremely provocative and appealed to the philosophes of the Enlightenment movement, and especially Voltaire. Ironically, the source material on China that Voltaire used to challenge the Catholic Church was provided by the Jesuit missionaries themselves through their travelogues and journals, personal correspondence, and conversations. The Jesuits self-consciously and enthusiastically delivered their radical theoretical works to the philosophes, even selectively editing them for their secular audiences; these religious outliers were directly responsible for Voltaire's religious and nationalistic ideals. Through direct connection the Jesuit Figurists influenced Voltaire's ideas about the French nation and his belief in universal truth and human progress and fed his critique of eighteenth century French society, religious history, and politics. Voltaire's idealization of Chinese religion, philosophy, and governmental system provided him with a model for an "enlightened" France and an ideal to inspire French nationalism and moral consciousness.
Metrics
26 File views/ downloads
122 Record Views
Details
- Title
- How China revolutionized France
- Creators
- Tracie Anne Peterson
- Contributors
- Sue Peabody (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- History, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525064201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis