Les pèlerins et les fossiles de Voltaire / par Marguerite Carozzi.
Abstract:
This paper gives the different versions of Voltaire's rather ill-famed "pilgrim story" according to which pilgrims were responsible for the occurrence of marine fossils found at great distances from the sea. These versions have often been confused and mixed to the point that Voltaire's reputation among scientists has greatly suffered. In fact, the different versions show that the "pilgrim story" does not represent Voltaire's main reaction toward the fossil controversy. Indeed, in 1746 it was merely part of various interpretations and certainly not the favored one. Twenty years later, while rejecting the latest theories on mountain building, Voltaire michievously compared his "pilgrim story" to those theories which according to him rested on fallacious reasoning. Author's abstract.
Gesnerus 36 (1978), p. 82-97