117 Lavoisier: Why Did a Once-in-a-Century Brilliant Head Get Chopped Off
"Mr. Lavoisier, son of a land grabber, half-baked chemist, disciple of the Geneva stock speculator Necker, former chief tax farmer of the General Farm, director of the Bureau of Gunpowder and Saltpeter, director of the Discount Bank, secretary to the King, member of the Academy of Sciences, intimate friend of Voville, malfeasant of the Paris Food Committee, and the greatest conspirator of the age" was sent to the guillotine in Paris on May 8, 1794. Lavoisier's death is a minor yet significant case in the history of the French Revolution. Some view it as proof of the Terror during the Revolution, others see it as the shameless revenge of ignorant amateurs against a great scientist, and still others believe that Lavoisier, as a chief tax farmer under the Old Regime, deserved his fate. In this episode, we will discuss what the string of diverse titles listed by Marat in The Friend of the People meant, and also how Lavoisier, an intellectual elite of the Old Regime, faced the turbulent waves of the Revolution.
Original Chinese title & description
117 拉瓦锡：百年一遇的杰出脑袋究竟为何而掉
“拉瓦锡先生，土地掠夺者之子，半吊子化学家，日内瓦股票投机商内克尔的弟子，包税总会的老包税官人，火药和硝石管理局局长，贴现银行董事，国王秘书，科学院院士，沃维利耶的密友，巴黎食品委员会的渎职者以及当代最大的阴谋家”于1794年5月8日被送上巴黎的断头台。 拉瓦锡之死是法国大革命历史上一桩不大不小的公案。有人将其视为大革命恐怖统治的力证，有人将其视为无知民科对伟大科学家的无耻报复，也有人认为拉瓦锡作为旧制度下的总包税人罪有应得。这期节目我们会聊一聊马拉在《人民之友》上所列举的拉瓦锡这串五花八门的头衔意味着什么，也会聊一聊拉瓦锡这一旧制度下的知识精英如何面对大革命的惊涛骇浪。
Participation credit “本期参与者”：沙青青（微信公众号：13号埋立地、小红书：Sha-13号埋立地）。
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