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Viagem de um habitante do mundo da estrela Sirius ao planeta Saturno


Por volta de seus 450 anos, mal saído da infância, Micrômegas costumava dissecar insetos tão pequenos que não chegavam a 100 pés de diâmetro e não podiam ser vistos com os microscópios comuns. Escreveu um livro sobre esse assunto, muito interessante, mas que lhe trouxe um bocado de problemas. O teólogo oficial de seus país, um sujeito muito detalhista e muito ignorante, viu no livro afirmações suspeitas, temerárias, que lhe soavam mal e cheiravam heresia e, por isso, passou a persegui-lo insistentemente: queria, por força, saber se a forma substancial das pulgas de Sirius era da mesma natureza que a dos caracóis. Micrômegas defendeu-se com muita inteligência e conseguiu que todas as mulheres ficassem do seu lado. O processo durou 220 anos. Afinal, o teólogo conseguiu fazer com que o livro fosse condenado por juristas que nem o leram e deram ordem ao autor de sumir da corte por 800 anos.

Voltaire | Micrômegas: uma história filosófica

Trad.: Maria V. Rezende


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