The development of Evgenios Voulgaris' thought in the context of the Enlightenment

The aim of this Ph. D. thesis is to provide a sketch of the development in Evgenios Voulgaris’ thought with reference to the cardinal principles of European Enlightenment, beyond the dichotomy of progress vs. conservatism. The Ph. D. thesis does neither attempt an overall survey of Voulgaris’ voluminous and diversified work, nor a complete record of his long life. It focuses on certain aspects of his literary production by making use of published and unpublished texts of his, in order to contribute to an outline of Voulgaris’ intellectual profile and personality as a scholar of Modern Greek Enlightenment. The question whether Voulgaris could be characterized as a philosopher in accordance with the contemporary debates of his times era as well as to those of the history of philosophy, leads to a reexamination of his identity in the context of Modern Greek Enlightenment. The answer to this question should take into consideration the crucial role of education in Voulgaris’ philosophical outlook, a dimension that explains to a significant extent his much-debated eclecticism. His care for the renewal of philosophical education in the Greek world through the eclectic introduction in the curricula of novel elements taken over from the teachings of modern European philosophers and scientists, did not prevent him from intervening with political writings into affairs that affected the Greek world. After the successive disappointments from the failure of his educational initiatives due to various reactions, the invitation of Catherine the Great to Russia, offered Voulgaris the opportunity to serve and promote the vital interests of the Greek people from a prominent position. The dissertation examines Voulgaris’ works, especially those from the 1770s but also later ones, which relate to his expectations from an eventual Russian interference in Southeast Europe in the context of Catherine the Great’s Ottoman policy. Although these expectations were not fulfilled, his connection to the Russian imperial court lasted until the end of his life. It is very probable that his decision to revise one of his most seminal works, the Treatise on Tolerance, to enrich and expand it. The later version of the Treatise is possibly related to a memorandum that Voulgaris composed in response to a request of the Russian Holy Synod. Whereas the memorandum, concerning the optimal policy towards the Uniates during the 1790s, was until now known to researchers solely in its Russian translation, the dissertation identifies and briefly presents the Greek original. The examination shows that Voulgaris’ portrayal as a late representative of religious humanism or, alternatively, as the leading figure of the first generation of Modern Greek Enlightenment, can both be corroborated and testified based on his long life and rich work. His classification in the broad category of Moderate Enlightenment, following the terminology of Jonathan Israel, is certainly safe, but this does not diminish the renovating quality of his thought for the Greek world of the eighteenth century.