Qualla: The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:06 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/e/y/c/s/lisbon-wk/there-lots-beautiful-n.jpg Qualla: The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God: Introduction https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake/ Photo credit Neil, CC BY 2.0. At 9:40 AM on November 1, 1755 - All Saints' Day - the most devout people in one of Europe's most devout cities were in church. Then the earthquake struck. Magnitude 8.5, the most powerful ever to hit Western Europe. Churches collapsed on congregations. Fires broke out from overturned candles. Survivors fled to the harbor, where a tsunami swept them away. In one morning, Lisbon was destroyed and 60,000 people were dead. Europe's philosophers were left to explain why God had chosen to destroy a city on a holy day, in churches, while its faithful prayed. For many, the answer was that God hadn't chosen anything. The Age of Enlightenment had found its defining catastrophe.

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Image: Neil | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/y/c/s/lisbon-earthquake-wk/eycs-the-lisbon-earthquake-the-disaster-that-made-philo-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God: The Morning https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake/ Photo credit Renek78, CC0. November 1 was All Saints' Day - one of the holiest days in the Catholic calendar. The churches of Lisbon, a deeply religious city and capital of a global empire, were packed with worshippers. Candles burned on every altar. Incense filled the air. The faithful were at prayer. At...

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Image: Renek78 | CC0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/y/c/s/lisbon-earthquake-wk/eycs-the-lisbon-earthquake-the-disaster-that-made-philo-the-morning.mp3 0:06 2 full The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God: The Fires https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake/ Photo credit João Carvalho, CC BY-SA 3.0. The earthquake sparked fires throughout the city. In the narrow medieval streets, flames jumped from building to building. The fires merged into a single conflagration that burned for five days. What the earthquake had left standing, the fire consumed. Survivors fled toward open...

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Image: João Carvalho | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/y/c/s/lisbon-earthquake-wk/eycs-the-lisbon-earthquake-the-disaster-that-made-philo-the-fires.mp3 0:06 3 full The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God: The Scale https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake/ Photo credit Francisco de Holanda, Public domain. The destruction was almost total. An estimated 85% of Lisbon's buildings were destroyed. The royal palace, the libraries, the archives, the opera house - all gone. The earthquake, fires, and tsunami killed an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people in a city of 200,000. The disaster w...

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Image: Francisco de Holanda | Public domain

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/y/c/s/lisbon-earthquake-wk/eycs-the-lisbon-earthquake-the-disaster-that-made-philo-the-scale.mp3 0:06 4 full The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God: The Question https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake/ Photo credit U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain. The timing of the disaster forced uncomfortable questions. Why had God destroyed churches on All Saints' Day? Why had the devout been killed at prayer while the brothels of the Alfama district - built on solid rock - survived? The traditional answer - that disasters were divine p...

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Image: U.S. Department of State from United States | Public domain

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/y/c/s/lisbon-earthquake-wk/eycs-the-lisbon-earthquake-the-disaster-that-made-philo-the-question.mp3 0:06 5 full The Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Made Philosophers Question God: The Rebuilding https://qualla.com/lisbon-earthquake/ Photo credit Pedro Simões, CC BY 2.0. The Marquis of Pombal, Portugal's prime minister, organized the response with ruthless efficiency. When asked what should be done, he allegedly replied, 'Bury the dead and feed the living.' He prevented looting by erecting gallows throughout the city. He organized firefighting, f...

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Image: Pedro Simões | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/y/c/s/lisbon-earthquake-wk/eycs-the-lisbon-earthquake-the-disaster-that-made-philo-the-rebuilding.mp3 0:06 6 full