Voltaire

Voltaire (1694-1778)

French Enlightenment Philosopher, Writer, Satirist

Voltaire was one of the leading French thinkers of the 18th century’s Age of Enlightenment. A philosopher, writer, deist, essayist, and satirist, he is famous for Philosophical Letters, and Candide, in which he satirizes man’s blind optimism.

Voltaire, whose real name is Francois-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), was born to a wealthy family on November 21, in Paris. Intended for the legal profession, he went to a college run by Jesuit priests studying law but rebelled against his family’s wishes to pursue a literary career.

Read more—  Voltaire and the Age of Reason

Works by Voltaire

• Charles XII, 1731
• Philosophical Letters, 1733
• Treatise on Metaphysics, 1734
• Semiramis, 1748
• Candide, 1759
• A Treatise on Toleration, 1763
• Tancredi, 1760
• Philosophical Dictionary, 1764
• Irene, 1778

Voltaire

This day, November 21 (1694-1778), is the birthday of Voltaire, French philosopher, historian, playwright, and poet. He was born Francois Marie Arouet, in Paris.

Voltaire helped sparked the Enlightenment in France and he was known for his wit and brilliance. He spent most of later life in exile, after the publication of his Philosophical Letters (1734) and wrote most of his work from England.

His ethical philosophy expressed in his Essay on Morals (1756), was founded on toleration and practical humanitarianism, as opposed to dogmatic theology.

One of Voltaire’s famous quotes:  “To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.”

Here’s a full article of Voltaire — Voltaire and the Age of Reason.