The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and Its Philosophical Interpretation in Western and Russian Literature of the 18th Century

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Krasheninnikova, O. A. “The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and Its Philosophical Interpretation in Western and Russian Literature of the 18th Century.” Dva veka russkoi klassiki, vol. 8, no. 3, 2026, pp. 6–27. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-3-6-27
Abstract:
The article examines the cultural significance of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. This event in 18th-century Europe spurred the study of seismic phenomena and the emergence of seismology as a science, and gave rise to a considerable number of philosophical and theological interpretations of this natural disaster. The Lisbon earthquake has featured prominently in Western philosophical thought (Voltaire’s “Poem on the Destruction of Lisbon,” 1756 and Rousseau’s “Letter on Providence,” 1756), sparking debates on the philosophy of optimism, Leibniz’s theodicy, and the origin of evil. Less well known is the contribution of 18th-century Russian theological thought, represented by the famous Elizabethan preacher Gideon Krinovsky (1726– 1763) and the writer V. A. Levshin (1746–1826), who offered their own original perspectives on the causes of the disaster. The Russian concept of the catastrophe that had occurred was not scientific, but purely theological: the cause of evil in the world was recognized as man’s sinful deviation from God’s commandments, and the natural disaster itself was intended to serve as a lesson in the need for repentance.
Keywords: Lisbon earthquake, poem, Voltaire, “On the Destruction of Lisbon,” J.-J. Rousseau, “Letter on Providence,” G. Malagrida, Gideon Krinovsky, V. A. Levshin
Author: Olga A. Krasheninnikova
Information about the author:
Olga A. Krasheninnikova, PhD in Philology, Senior Researcher, A. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Povarskaya St., 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1518-7923

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received: February 21, 2026
Approved after reviewing: April 14, 2026
Published: September 25, 2026
Issue: 2026 Volume 8 No. 3
Department: Russian Literature of the 18th–19th Centuries
Pages: 6-27
DOI: Visit Website
EDN:
https://elibrary.ru/MDBRSL
UDK: 821.161.1.09"19"
Publication Type: Research Article

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