---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His [Turgot's] first important literary…"
description: "\"His [Turgot's] first important literary and scholastic effort was a treatise On the Existence of God. Few fragments of it remain, but we are helped to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/andrew-dickson-white-24254_all-time_his-turgot-s-first-important-literary-an_1733504.png"
---

#  His \[Turgot's\] first important literary and scholastic…

![“His [Turgot's] first important literary and scholastic effort was a treatise On the Existence of God. Few fragments of it remain, but we are helped to understand him when we learn that he asserted, and to the end of his life maintained, his belief in an Almighty Creator and Upholder of the…” quote by Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/andrew-dickson-white-24254_all-time_his-turgot-s-first-important-literary-an_1733504.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/andrew-dickson-white-24254_all-time_his-turgot-s-first-important-literary-an_1733504.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/andrew-dickson-white-24254_all-time_his-turgot-s-first-important-literary-an_1733504.png)

> “His \[Turgot's\] first important literary and scholastic effort was a treatise On the Existence of God. Few fragments of it remain, but we are helped to understand him when we learn that he asserted, and to the end of his life maintained, his belief in an Almighty Creator and Upholder of the Universe. It did, indeed, at a later period suit the purposes of his enemies, exasperated by his tolerant spirit and his reforming plans, to proclaim him an atheist; but that sort of charge has been the commonest of missiles against troublesome thinkers in all times.”

[Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Turgot's belief in a creator was later misrepresented as atheism, a common tactic against controversial thinkers.

**In simple terms:** Turgot was a believer, but enemies called him atheist.

Key Takeaway

Beware of mischaracterizations of beliefs.

Themes

philosophy religion misrepresentation

Mood

critical reflective

Type

historical analytical

When to use this quote

- academic debates
- historical analysis
- public discourse

Key Concepts

atheism tolerance intellectual conflict

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do opponents label thinkers as atheists?
- How does misrepresentation affect a thinker's legacy?

A Different Perspective

Mislabeling can oversimplify complex ideas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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