November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778
Full name: François-Marie Arouet
From a first Glance, Voltaire appears to any old 18th century philisophe, but if you dive deeper you find one of the most influential and famous enlightenment thinkers of all time. His views on religion, politics, and science would help to push society to how it operates today. The controversies he sparked and his mission to raise awareness of things such ad Newtonianism solidified both his fame and his infamy.
Voltaire both is and isn’t credited with the introduction of science and enlightenment ideas into the modern era. Although he was responsible for them becoming more public, he was not origin point of the ideas, rather he was a very large supporter of these ideas. A “popularizer” is what most people of his time would call Voltaire, using his literary skills he was able to spread to concepts of Newtonianism and rationalism in clear, concise and attractive ways. During his time as an Exile in France he grew alarge fascination with the immerging ideas of Newton, and would eventually become a complete supporter of Newtonianism. Voltaire even attended Newton’s funeral, where his famous though arose; “that great intellectual achievement might alter history.”2 Newton had found fame and recognition through his discoveries, Voltaire would to the same through his writings. His works “were remarkable neither for depth of analysis, accuracy or originality but rather for cleverness of expression and ability to say quotable things at the right moment.”1 This is where the controversy steps in however, many of his time considered him a fraud, or fake philisophe. He wasn’t a true scientist, and even after his role in the popularization of scientific ideas he was unable to keep up with them, in this is was seen as an amateur of science. He “achieved fame because his curiosity pushed him into an amazing variety of fields, because he was able to glean the essentials from the work of more thoroughgoing scholars, and because he had literary ability.”1 , not because how was truly masterful or knowledgeable in science as the ideas the popularized.
Before becoming a criticized scientific supporter, Voltaire was primarily known for his playwriting. And as he had wished, his writings brought him immense fame and is what allowed his popularization of scientific and enlightenment ideas to come to fruition. Through his plays, poems, and novels he commented (and sometimes even slightly parodied) things like Newtonianism, rationalism, government, religion and history. His every growing interest in science would pave the way for future religious beliefs, eventually turning him extremely anti-religious. Many of Voltaire’s views on religion plant direct attacks of Judaism in fact it could be argues that his attacks of Judaism were unlined attacks on Christianity. Voltaire believed that “the Jews remained the same innately corrupt people they had always been and that they were still capable of doing additional harm, in the future, to the Europeans among whom they lived.”3 And would “single out the Jews not simply in order to pursue an indirect or veiled attack on the Christian religion but, in large part, because he considered them to be responsible for the very existence of that religion”3 His criticisms of religion would obviously bring him misfortune, as it was the 18th century, but not before his enlightenment ideas were spread far an wide.
His popularization of ideas like government corruption helped others to question authority and how the higher ups should run their lives. His enthusiasm for science and remarks of religion helped to usher in the scientific age and the start to the end to religious control. Although not a true Scientific mind, Voltaire was both a fantastic writer and a true philosopher, and it is likely because of his writings that the world operates the way it does today.
Nic Verspaget
Works Cited
1Rockwood O, Raymond. “Voltaire.” The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 9, No. 4 (Dec., 1937), pp. 493- 501. The University of Chicago Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1899207
2Johnson, W. “Voltaire after 300 Years.” Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 48, No. 2 (Jul., 1994), pp. 215-220. Royal Society Stable. http://www.jstor.org/stable/532163
3Arkush, Allan. “Voltaire on Judaism and Christianity.” AJS Review, Vol. 18, No. 2 (1993), pp. 223-243. Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Association for Jewish Studies. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1486572
Rosenthal, Jerome. “Voltaire’s Philosophy of History.” Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr., 1955), pp. 151-178. University of Pennsylvania Press Stable. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2707660
Topazio W, Virgil. “Voltaire, Philosopher of Human Progress.” PMLA, Vol. 74, No. 4 (Sep., 1959), pp. 356- 364. Modern Language Association. http://www.jstor.org/stable/460445
Zerffi G, G. “Voltaire, in His Relation to the Study of General History, from a Philosophical Point of View.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol. 10 (1882), pp. 344-370. Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal Historical Society. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3678028
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