"Customs Theory (Volume 1)"

Author: Voltaire (French), translated by Liang Shouqiang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-08-01
Features: This is a monumental and extensive work that focuses on religious issues while also delving into various aspects of culture, highlighting the arduous journey of humanity from ignorance to civilization. The book uses numerous facts to expose the darkness and corruption of the Church, opposing religious fanaticism, persecution, and sectarian conflicts. With sharp prose and grandeur, it spans thousands of years and traverses several continents, presenting a magnificent panorama of the spirit and customs of important nations worldwide. The book narrates complex historical events, summarizing the essence and extracting the key points; it vividly portrays characters and skillfully uses concise brushstrokes to depict social dynamics and historical landscapes. This work is not only valuable for historians but also for general readers interested in world history. Discourse on the Customs of Nations focuses on the customs of different peoples while also exploring the underlying national spirit and mentality behind these customs. Therefore, this historical work is not merely a chronicle of dynasties, politics, or events. In a sense, it can even be considered a precursor to the contemporary French Annales School, where the seeds of later social science methodologies can be found. Voltaire explicitly states in the book: "My main idea is to understand the customs of different peoples as much as possible and to study the human spirit. I regard the succession of kings as a guiding thread rather than the purpose of writing history." Law, art, and customs are the main subjects of this book. Thus, it is not a strict chronicle or genealogy. As a more personalized teaching approach, he did not deliberately consult numerous books to clarify details but instead aimed to provide a general outline of the world. The author of Discourse on the Customs of Nations also demonstrates a strong interest in and equal attitude toward non-Western civilizations. He devotes considerable space to discussing the culture of non-Western worlds, often with a complimentary tone, particularly when introducing China, where he shows great enthusiasm. He mentions that in other countries, law is used to punish crimes, while in China, it serves a greater purpose—rewarding virtuous behavior. He points out that ancient Chinese civilization was already quite advanced, but he also raises the question: Why did China remain at this stage for so long? Why was astronomy so ancient in China, yet its achievements so limited? Why did they still not know about semitones in music? In his view, these people, so different from Westerners, seemed to be naturally endowed with organs that could easily discover what they needed but could not progress further. On the other hand, we acquired knowledge late but quickly perfected everything. He speculates that there might be two reasons: first, the Chinese have an inexplicable reverence for what their ancestors left behind, believing that everything ancient is perfect; the second reason lies in the nature of their language. Regarding the later academic criticism of Discourse on the Customs of Nations, Morraia argues that it "can be said to be a mix of praise and criticism." There are still many factual errors in the book, some of which the author is hard-pressed to excuse, while others are unavoidable, as the truth was not yet clear at the time. Montesquieu said that Voltaire's purpose in writing history was to glorify his own sect, which is to promote his "non-religious religion." Voltaire wanted to prove that Boussuet's explanation of world history based on the will of God was wrong, arguing that history should not be explained by original causes but by the blind play of many small causes. He denied all supernatural phenomena, and it should be said that drawing this line is very meaningful for the independent development of historiography. However, he sometimes believed that human history in the past was a continuous cycle of sin and suffering, and that chaos could soon be clarified by reason, which was perhaps too pessimistic about the past and too optimistic about the future. Nevertheless, regardless of anything else, we can quote one sentence from the book to describe it: "A person who thinks with the heart will always inspire others to think."