Candide attacks the passivity inspired by Leibniz's philosophy of optimism through the character Pangloss's frequent refrain that circumstances are the "best of all possible worlds". He is incorrectly credited with writing, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." In these works, Voltaire's ironic style, free of exaggeration, is apparent, particularly the restraint and simplicity of the verbal treatment. Many of Voltaire's prose works and romances, usually composed as pamphlets, were written as polemics. He was now indisputably rich. "[218] In Essai sur les mœurs et l'esprit des nations, he defended the integrity of the Native Americans and wrote favorably of the Inca Empire. "[148] Voltaire's reasoning may be summed up in his well-known saying, "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. Voltaire distrusted democracy, which he saw as propagating the idiocy of the masses. Such an outlook was not unique in that the scientific spirit that 18th-century intellectuals perceived themselves as invested with. – De l'Alcoran, et de la loi musulmane. Voltaire only began to identify himself with philosophy and the philosophe identity during middle age. [182], The tragedy Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet (French: Le fanatisme, ou Mahomet le Prophete) was written in 1736 by Voltaire. [134] Furthermore, despite the death of Hypatia being the result of finding herself in the crossfires of a mob during a political feud in 4th century Alexandria, Voltaire promoted the theory that she was stripped naked and murdered by the minions of the bishop Cyril of Alexandria, concluding by stating that "when one finds a beautiful woman completely naked, it is not for the purpose of massacring her." In pure literary criticism his principal work is the Commentaire sur Corneille, although he wrote many more similar works—sometimes (as in his Life and Notices of Molière) independently and sometimes as part of his Siècles. He thought for a time of a diplomatic career but on his return to France decided to devote himself to literature. ", According to Orthodox rabbi Joseph Telushkin, the most significant Enlightenment hostility against Judaism was found in Voltaire;[149] thirty of the 118 articles in his Dictionnaire philosophique dealt with Jews and described them in consistently negative ways. https://www.biography.com/scholar/voltaire. [157], According to the historian Will Durant, Voltaire had initially condemned the persecution of Jews on several occasions including in his work Henriade. Voltaire's best-known histories are History of Charles XII (1731), The Age of Louis XIV (1751), and his Essay on the Customs and the Spirit of the Nations (1756). Voltaire's opinion of the Bible was mixed. [49] Voltaire's exile in Great Britain greatly influenced his thinking. Elsewhere, he wrote caustically about "whites and Christians [who] proceed to purchase negroes cheaply, in order to sell them dear in America". Plot. He hastened to La Brède and remained there, working for two years. We strive for accuracy and fairness. [18] At The Hague, Voltaire fell in love with a French Protestant refugee named Catherine Olympe Dunoyer (known as 'Pimpette'). [95] Though he was received openly at first, the law in Geneva, which banned theatrical performances, and the publication of The Maid of Orleans against his will soured his relationship with Calvinist Genevans. "Candide" has not aged. [221] According to Will Durant: Italy had a Renaissance, and Germany had a Reformation, but France had Voltaire; he was for his country both Renaissance and Reformation, and half the Revolution. Peoples separated from the Roman religion have imitated but imperfectly so generous a charity. [18] Their affair, considered scandalous, was discovered by de Châteauneuf and Voltaire was forced to return to France by the end of the year. Allegorical definition, consisting of or pertaining to allegory; of the nature of or containing allegory; figurative: an allegorical poem;an allegorical meaning. [156] Although Voltaire did have a Jewish friend, Daniel de Fonseca, whom he called "the only philosopher of his people". The Chinaman my brother? The character Muhammad orders the murder of his critics. It was his first play and the first literary work for which he used the pen-name Voltaire (his real name was François-Marie Arouet). But, wretch, you are neither Rachel, nor Jacob, nor Abraham, nor God; you are just a mad fool, and the popes who forbade the reading of the Bible were extremely wise.[139]. His Zaïre (1732), written in verse, was something of a departure from previous works: Until that point, Voltaire's tragedies had centered on a fatal flaw in the protagonist's character; however, the tragedy in Zaïre was the result of circumstance. "[217], Zeev Sternhell argues that despite his shortcomings, Voltaire was a forerunner of liberal pluralism in his approach to history and non-European cultures. [122] He stated in one of his most famous quotes that "Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them. Louis XVII was recognized by royalists as the King of France from 1793, when he was 8, until his death in 1795. ")[31] This probably refers to Adenes le Roi, and the 'oi' diphthong was then pronounced like modern 'ouai', so the similarity to 'Arouet' is clear, and thus, it could well have been part of his rationale. Moland, 1875, Vol.11, chap. [173] As a "legislator", he "changed the face of part of Europe [and] one half of Asia. « Essai sur les Mœurs et l'Esprit des Nations » (1756), dans Œuvres complètes de Voltaire, Voltaire. In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Rousseau in March 1719, Voltaire concludes by asking that, if Rousseau wishes to send him a return letter, he do so by addressing it to Monsieur de Voltaire. In 1772, when a priest sent Rousseau a pamphlet denouncing Voltaire, Rousseau responded by defending his rival: He has said and done so many good things that we should draw the curtain over his irregularities.[244]. [115][116] Yale professor Peter Gay says Voltaire wrote "very good history", citing his "scrupulous concern for truths", "careful sifting of evidence", "intelligent selection of what is important", "keen sense of drama", and "grasp of the fact that a whole civilization is a unit of study". Also an existentialist philosopher, she had a long-term relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre. Subsequently, when Rousseau sent Voltaire a copy of his book Discourse on Inequality, Voltaire replied, noting his disagreement with the views expressed in the book: No one has ever employed so much intellect to persuade men to be beasts. Richard Holmes[30] supports the anagrammatic derivation of the name, but adds that a writer such as Voltaire would have intended it to also convey connotations of speed and daring. [13] Nicknamed "Zozo" by his family, Voltaire was baptized on 22 November 1694, with François de Castagnère, abbé de Châteauneuf [fr], and Marie Daumard, the wife of his mother's cousin, standing as godparents. It was a flop and only fragments of the text survive. "[105] However, this appears to have originated from a joke in a Massachusetts newspaper in 1856, and was only attributed to Voltaire in the 1970s. [183] Voltaire described the play as "written in opposition to the founder of a false and barbarous sect. His spirit moved like a flame over the continent and the century, and stirs a million souls in every generation.[238]. 113–17, in, François de Castagnère, abbé de Châteauneuf, Essay on the Customs and the Spirit of the Nations, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Female genital mutilation laws by country, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities, Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations, The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written, Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment, The Elements of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy, Essay on Universal History, the Manners, and Spirit of Nations, "Christopher Hitchens' Defense of the Enlightenment", Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, – "Voltaire to Jean Baptiste Rousseau, c. 1 March 1719", "Voltaire on British Columbia Grand Lodge Site", "Deathbed Remark: This Is No Time To Be Making New Enemies", "Voltaire's Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet:A New Translation; Preface: Voltaire and Islam", Chap. "[216], In his Philosophical Dictionary, Voltaire endorses Montesquieu's criticism of the slave trade: "Montesquieu was almost always in error with the learned, because he was not learned, but he was almost always right against the fanatics and the promoters of slavery. "[178][179] He thus compares "the genius of the Arab people" with "the genius of the ancient Romans". A rationalistic approach was key to rewriting history.[114]. Confucius has no interest in falsehood; he did not pretend to be prophet; he claimed no inspiration; he taught no new religion; he used no delusions; flattered not the emperor under whom he lived... With the translation of Confucian texts during the Enlightenment, the concept of a meritocracy reached intellectuals in the West, who saw it as an alternative to the traditional Ancien Régime of Europe. "Arouet" was not a noble name fit for his growing reputation, especially given that name's resonance with à rouer ("to be beaten up") and roué (a débauché). [258] His great-grand-niece was the mother of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Catholic philosopher and Jesuit priest. [40] It was among the entertainments provided at the wedding of Louis XV and Marie Leszczyńska in September 1725. In general, his criticism and miscellaneous writing show a similar style to Voltaire's other works. [90] On a slow journey back to France, Voltaire stayed at Leipzig and Gotha for a month each, and Kassel for two weeks, arriving at Frankfurt on 31 May. [211] According to David Allen Harvey, Voltaire often invoked racial differences as a means to attack religious orthodoxy, and the Biblical account of creation. According to some sources, "Benjamin Franklin ... urged Voltaire to become a freemason; and Voltaire agreed, perhaps only to please Franklin. [25] Both she and Voltaire were also curious about the philosophy of Gottfried Leibniz, a contemporary and rival of Newton. [46], In England, Voltaire lived largely in Wandsworth, with acquaintances including Everard Fawkener. Voltaire, in keeping with other Enlightenment thinkers of the era, was a deist — not by faith, according to him, but rather by reason. He did complete that, forty years later, during an edition of Thoughts, given by Condorcet. Voltaire's body of writing also includes the notable historical works The Age of Louis XIV (1751) and Essay on the Customs and the Spirit of the Nations (1756). [228] Alexander Herzen remarked that "The writings of the egoist Voltaire did more for liberation than those of the loving Rousseau did for brotherhood. One satirical verse, in which Voltaire accused the Régent of incest with his daughter, resulted in an eleven-month imprisonment in the Bastille. "[218] In speaking of Persia, he condemned Europe's "ignorant audacity" and "ignorant credulity". [17] Voltaire, pretending to work in Paris as an assistant to a notary, spent much of his time writing poetry. [177] Voltaire continues that, "It is to be believed that Mohammed, like all enthusiasts, violently struck by his ideas, first presented them in good faith, strengthened them with fantasy, fooled himself in fooling others, and supported through necessary deceptions a doctrine which he considered good. [246], On 2 July 1778, Rousseau died one month after Voltaire. [16], By the time he left school, Voltaire had decided he wanted to be a writer, against the wishes of his father, who wanted him to become a lawyer. Het laatste nieuws over de beurs, financiële wereld, economie, politiek en ondernemen vind je op fd.nl [132][196][197][198] In 1751, Voltaire performed his play Mohamet once again, with great success.[199]. You are General Editor of the Complete Works of Voltaire, which spans some 200 volumes. Examen si la religion musulmane était nouvelle, et si elle a été persécutante, Lettre civile et honnête à l'auteur malhonnête de la "Critique de l'histoire universelle de M. de Voltaire", Remarques pour servir de supplément à l'Essai sur les Mœurs, Préface de l'Essai sur l'Histoire universelle, "Voltaire's Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet: A New Translation", "Review and Notices of Books: Hindu Culture", The Eastern Origins of Western Civilisation, "The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. "[194][195] His view was modified slightly for Essai sur les Moeurs et l'Esprit des Nations, although it remained negative. In France '' [ 147 ] yet, According to Diderot, Voltaire a... Contemporary Jean-Jacques Rousseau commented on how Voltaire 's description of the masses de Lally was expunged just before Voltaire anti-Judaism... 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