Voltaire

Table of contents

The life of voltaire

France

tHE life of voltaire

• FRANCOIS-MARIE AROUET born 1694 in PARIS
• Studied at the COLLEGE LOUIS-le-GRAND 1704-1711
• Father wanted him to study LAW, he wanted to WRITE 
• Wrote ATTACKS on the regent PHILLIPE d'ORLEANS
• Sent for internal EXILE at the chateau of the duc de SULLY

tHE LIFE OF VOLTAIRE

• 1717 INCURRED ROYAL WRATH ONCE AGAIN
• Spent ELEVEN months in the BASTILLE 
• In prison he wrote his first drama OEDIPE
• 1723 wrote LA LIGUE OU HENRY LE GRAND
• This epic offended CHEVALIER DE ROHAN 

Untitled Slide

~WRITE THIS NOT THAT~
Bastille 1717
This time in prison influenced many of Voltaire's opinions:
Injustice
Civil Liberties
Tyranny

THE BAstille

THE LIFE OF VOLTAIRE

• 1726 EXILED TO ENGLAND
• Returned to FRANCE 1732
• 1734 LETTERS CONCERNING THE ENGLISH NATION was published in FRANCE
• Greeted with OUTRAGE and burned by CENSORS
• Discouraged and dejected, he stuck to writing DRAMAS 

~WRITE THIS NOT THAT~
In England, Voltaire wrote
these letters in amazement of the
English tolerance. "Philosophical Letters" was condemned by the French government as "likely to inspire a license of thought most dangerous to religion and civil order."

Untitled Slide

THE LIFE OF VOLTAIRE

• Mistress MADAME du CHATALET
• Potsdam 1750 with KING OF PRUSSIA
• Returned to FRANCE in 1752
• Arrested in 1753 for having poetry from Frederick
• Unwelcomed and shunned in PARIS

~WRITE THIS NOT THAT~
Voltaire was recognized as one of the greatest philosophers of the enlightenment long after he was dead.
In reality, he lived much of his life in
exile; passively outspoken through
his literature.

THE LIFE OF VOLTAIRE

• New mistress MARIE LOUISE MIGNOT DENIS
• 1755 Lisbon Earth Quake 
• 1769 CANDIDE, settled near SWITZERLAND
• 1760 attacked organized religion with SATIRE
• 1764 Philosophical Dictionary

“One always begins with the simple, then comes the complex, and by superior enlightenment one often reverts in the end to the simple. Such is the course of human intelligence.”
― Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary

~WRITE THIS NOT THAT~
Lisbon Earthquake 1755
God is not powerful enough to prevent evil
Certainly not "the best of all possible worlds"
Scrutiny of the reasons for
unnecessary evil in the world

The LIFE OF VOLTAIRE

• 1778, AGE 84, returned to PARIS
• Thunderously acclaimed at IRENE 1778
• Buried at ABBEY OF SCELLIERES
• "For God's sake, let me die in peace." 
• 1791 Ashes transferred to the Pantheon  

Untitled Slide

The philosophy

Voltaire's Convictions
Freedom of Speech
Press
Religion
Opposition to monarchy
Military
Slavery
Free Will

Untitled Slide

Natural Science
(in regards to the substitution of ignorance /superstition for rational thought/logic)

"I die adoring God, loving my friends, not hating my enemies, and detesting superstition."
-Voltaire, 1778

Gottfried Leibniz

Untitled Slide

Philosophy of leibniz

• metaphysics
• optimism
• the existence of God 
• the principle of the best
• pre established harmony

Do you believe in free will or destiny?

Free Will vs. Determinism
Critics of Leibniz, such as Voltaire, argue that the world contains an amount of suffering too great to justify optimism

LEIBNIZ
The quarrel with OPTIMISM
"Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable."

Candide

Untitled Slide

Candide in 1:02
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9emE8xqFU-4

Untitled Slide

Pangloss- Optimism
Candide-Indecisively Ignorant Patronship
Martin- Pessimism

Is optimism conscientiously applied or does it come naturally?

Untitled Slide

Voltaire leaves the choice to us
THE MIDDLE PATH
The best option is “moderate enthusiasm, modified imitation, cautious discussion of points, violent assault, more reasonable acceptance.” That is truly the only way for the human mind to cultivate its garden

The legacy

Spread rational skepticism Religious/political toleration
Civil rights

THE LEGACY OF VOLTAIRE