Voltaire

Arouet, better known as Voltaire, has returned to Paris after twenty-eight years in exile! Upon his return, more than some three-hundred people came to greet the great playwright and poet. Voltaire has established himself as one of the leading writers of the seventeenth century, famed for his often satirical and tragic works, Voltaire’s criticizing of religion and philosophy has brought great controversy to him and his works. He’s scrutinized the church and state with equal fervor, ultimately resulting in years of exile and imprisonment. Born in 1694, in Paris, France, Voltaire was the youngest of five children, his father, François Arouet, was a notary and treasury official, while his mother, Marie Marguerite d'Aumart, came from a noble family of Poitou province. Voltaire came from a middle class family, however, his mother was absent for the majority of his childhood, and the French philosopher as a young man distanced himself from his father. The origins of his outspoken and witful pen seem unlikely to have come from his own upbringing. However, his father was insistent when it came to Voltaire’s education and often meddled in his profession, he was adamant on his son becoming a lawyer. Voltaire received an education at…

monarchies, absolute and not. Voltaire is thought of as the main literary supporter of The Enlightenment. It was through his many controversial books that he spread his thoughts and what he believed was the truth and purpose of how governments and control over societies should be handled. These ideas are ever apparent within the books of Candide and Letters on England. Voltaire presents his reasoning and thus tone on religion. He also brings up the prospect of El Dorado, this Heaven on Earth,…

Voltaire: Belief in Equality or Riddled with Prejudice? François-Marie Arouet, best known as Voltaire, was born in Paris, France in 1694 and is revered as one of the greatest philosophical writers of the Enlightenment Period. Known as a vocal proponent espousing the Enlightenment philosophies, Voltaire’s countless hours creating works sheds light onto injustices, inequality, and lack of freedoms many in societies experience. Although the exact number of literary works by Voltaire’s is unknown,…

Candide by Voltaire (1759) is a satirical narrative written in response to the Enlightenment philosophy. Specifically, the philosopher, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) who believed that since everything was created by God and “God is the most benevolent and capable mind imaginable, that the world must be the best imaginable” (SparkNotes Editors, 2002). In the story, Candide was taught by the philosopher, Preceptor Pangloss, who “was a professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology”…

Voltaire, also known as Francois-Marie Arouet, was the one of the most influential satirist of the French Enlightenment. Initially a witty and satirical playwright, Voltaire was first introduced to the works of Locke and Newton during a period of time spent in England. Locke and Newton proceeded to have great impact on Voltaire’s works. Voltaire’s avid support for monarchy and hate for organized religion led him to write one of the most influential satire pieces of the time Candide (1759).…

The French Revolution, an uprising formed by the underprivileged society of France with the intent of reworking the nation and sharing equal rights. While Voltaire was not the main contributor in stirring the rebellion, he did play an important role in defining what it was that the peasants wanted and reminding them that they deserved more than what they had previously been given. After the French Revolution was won, the rules of the country had to be rewritten. Voltaire’s works were useful to…

things come from misfortune, certain idea and factors often create the illusion that they do not believe in pessimism. These common misconceptions are discarding with many optimistic individuals facing dilemmas that challenge their ideas of positivity and moral. The Story of Candide, written by Voltaire illustrates those challenges as the main protagonist Candide stumbles upon various figures and misfortunes that illustrates the flaws in optimism. Seeing that optimism is focused on hope and…

conflict between various groups of people. It has also caused reflection and reevaluation of one’s own culture based on interaction and experiences with another. This was the case for French Enlightenment philosopher, François-Marie Arouet, known by his pseudonym, Voltaire. Not unlike his fellow theorists, Voltaire sought to examine various aspects of the world around him with the goal…

My understanding of the book Candide by Voltaire was deepened through the IO presentation of the book. The discussion included the enlightenment period, different variety of philosophers and the social classes in France. The enlightenment period begins with the scientific revolution. During the revolution, many unusual philosophies made its debut, and people think that those philosophies are going guide people into a more preferable life. Apparently that’s not true, because in the novella, the…

those who held power. Enlightenment thinkers such as, Voltaire, Astell and Diderot, criticized the institutions of the monarchy and the education system. By criticizing the arbitrary government’s ideas on education and equal opportunity, the purpose of the class system now became a questionable concept. If anyone were able to become educated, then there would not necessarily be a need for a monarchy or a class system with such distinct lines. The abuse of power in both of these institutions…