Voltaire

November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778

Full name: François-Marie Arouet

From a first Glance, Voltaire appears to any old 18^th 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 18^th 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

Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12,1809 in Shrewsbury England and died on April 19, 1882 in the Kentish village of Downe.

Charles Darwin came from a well off family that had come out strongly from the Industrial Revolution. Through Charles Darwin’s innovations, a scientific revolution was created, he was able to take information that was blatantly clear and turn it into a new idea. Darwin was sent to school to become an Anglican clergyman due to the fact that he had no obvious talent, he then began to gravitate towards science and the scientific professors (Hesketh, 22). In this time, science was not taught so formally at these Christian Central Universities. (Ruse, 16). Darwin grew up in a time that strictly believed in the almighty God, furthermore disproving the notion that people could have been created in a way other than religiously (Cape, 27). Darwin began his science career by aiming his questions towards geology before his immense success as a biologist. Darwin had a strong devotion to the idea of climate theory which later helped in developing all the topics that he studied in the future. (Stone, 103). The most notable finding that furthermore changed Charles Darwin’s aspects on science was when he took a visit to the Galapagos Island. Upon returning from this trip Charles Darwin’s findings took a pivotal turn towards a concept of evolution (Hesketh, 17). Darwin reviewed his findings from the Galapagos island’s and came to a conclusion that the only way in which these animals could have survived was through evolving as they moved from island to island (Ruse, 21).

Darwinism and the ‘Origin of Species’ had a big impact on many different aspects of study, such as philosophy, religion and especially science. Many people throughout Darwin’s discovery had fallen victim to misconstruing the ideas and concepts that were introduced, most prevalent to religion (Ruse, 42). The theory of evolution has affected and are still very controversial within the religious communities. A notable piece work that helped in overall exemplifying some of the issues brought upon by these new scientific ideas was Inherit the Wind. This play fully encompassed the arguments in which a very religious town have with a teacher who feels as though he is given the right to talk about the theories of evolution (Stone, 67). Despite the fact that this was a fictional storyline, it fully encompasses the realities that much of the world was experiencing after Darwin’s discoveries and theories (Ruse, 55). It has been agreed that these theories would not have had as big of an impact as they did if it was not for the fact that the ideas were supported by other highly respected scientists. Many of these scientists helped in challenging the religious narratives of the development of animals, people, and the earth as a whole (Hesketh, 11). Although, the theories of evolution had lots that could be disputed against, the new ideas that came with it were enough to challenge religion and especially put the Bible under scrutiny (Stone, 39). Through Charles Darwin’s ideas of evolution, philosophy, science as a whole and the future of religion were all up for question.

 

Many reviews and opinions were made disagreeing or supporting the ‘Origin of Species’. Present day, even after the death of Charles Darwin, these same opposing views are argued (Cape, 4). The concept of natural selection was an astounding discovery due to the fact that in a time of no science and all religion, a contradictory an idea of evolution and adaptation was created and made sense to scientists. Rephrasing one of Charles Darwin’s most notorious quotes, it is not the strongest or smartest that survive, but the one who responds the best to change.

Emily Srebot

Works Cited

Cape, Jonathan. Evolution, Old & New. Eleven Gower Sreet, 1921.
Hesketh, Ian. Of Apes and Ancestors: Evolution, Christianity, and the Oxford debate. Toronto:

University of Toronto Press, 2009.
Ruse, Michael. Charles Darwin. Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
Ruse, Michael. Philosophy after Darwin: classic and contemporary readings. Princeton:

Princeton University Press, 2009.
Robert, Ryan M. Charles Darwin and the Church of Woodsworth. Oxford University Press, 2016 Stone, Irving. The Origin: A Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin. Garden City, New York:

Doubleday & Company, 1980.