François-Marie Arouet

AKA: VoltaireBy: Robert Cook, Kendal Malone

Born November 21, 1694 Youngest of the five children Attended the the Collège Louis-le-Grand (1704–1711) Voltaire had decided he wanted to be a writer, against the

wishes of his father Early in his life, he ran into trouble with French government

and was sentence to leave This gave him the opportunity to be inspired by other

countries and take their ideas to improve the French government

Died May 30, 1778

Biography

Voltaire's prose works and romances, were written as polemics

Candide attacks the passivity inspired by Leibniz's philosophy of optimism

In these works, Voltaire's ironic style, free of exaggeration, is apparent, particularly the restraint and simplicity of the verbal treatment.

Voltaire's first major philosophical work in his battle against "l'infâme" was the Treatise on Tolerance

Voltaire wrote about what he perceived as the human origins of dogmas and beliefs, as well as inhuman behavior of religious and political institutions in shedding blood over the quarrels of competing sects.

Voltaire’s Prose Works

Voltaire did not believe that any single religious text or tradition of revelation was needed to believe in God

Voltaire considered himself a deist He expressed the idea: "What is faith?...” Voltaire's opinion of the Bible was mixed Voltaire's skeptical attitude to the Bible separated

him from Unitarian theologians & biblical-political writers

This did not disturb his religious practice

Religious Views

Voltaire rejected the Christian Adam and Eve story he divided humanity into varieties or races and

attempted to explain the differences between these races

He wondered if blacks fully shared in the common humanity or intelligence of whites

His most famous remark on slavery is found in "Candide", where the hero is horrified to learn 'at what price we eat sugar in Europe‘

Voltaire wrote caustically about whites and Christians who proceed to purchase negroes cheaply

Views on Slavery & Race

Voltaire was a from a prosperous middle class family in Paris. He wished to be a writer and achieve success in playwright. Voltaire wrote a nearly endless stream of pamphlets, novels, plays, letters, essay, and histories. His writings brought him both fame and wealth. He is also known for his criticism against Christianity, and strong belief in religious tolerance, and religious intolerance in 1763.

Summary