Voltaire, Prominent French Reformer

Voltaire was actually a pseudonym. The name given her father when he was dragged out by a midwife was Francois Marie Arouet. Anyone calling, which he clearly prominent French reformer. Its function is not just bilingual, but much more than that: poet, playwright, essayist, short story writers, historians, and philosophers. She really spokesman liberal free thinking.
Voltaire was born in 1694 in Paris of the middle family, and his father a lawyer. Voltaire in his youth studied at the Jesuit college of Louis-le-Grand in Paris. After that he studied law briefly but then left. As a teenager in Paris he was known for intelligent, clever humor and high-level burst from his mouth sentences satire. Under the ancient regime, aka the old government, such behavior could invite danger. And sure enough! Because of his words that contain political, he was arrested "secured" at the Bastille prison. Almost a full year he was curled up in there. But he's not stupid to put him in government. He was not blank-stare like an idiot, but disibukkannya himself by writing epic poems which can then be Henriade high honor. Year 1718, not long after Voltaire breathe free air, his Oedipe drama diprodusir in Paris and seized a huge success. At the age of twenty-four years of Voltaire's a lion, and the rest of sixty years of his life he really did so Jagonya French literature.

Voltaire had a rare double ingenuity: smart money and good relations in relation to speech. No wonder if the same level for the level he becomes a free living with a bag full of money. But in 1726 he was able to trouble. Voltaire has established himself as an intelligent and brilliant in argument, not only by size but maybe its time for a long time. However, he is less outgoing and humble that the French aristocratic considered a requirement that must be possessed by a majority like him. This causes conflict between the aristocratic Voltaire, especially the Chevalier de Rohan who was defeated by the intelligence of the race said Voltaire. After a while, Chevalier hired artisans make over at Voltaire and throw him back into the Bastille. Voltaire was released from there on the condition that he should leave France. Therefore, he resolved to cross to England and stayed there for two and a half years.

He lived in England seems to be the turning point in the life of Voltaire. He learned to speak and write in English and therefore become familiar with the great works of famous British men like John Locke, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton and William Shakespeare. He also met privately with most astute British scholars of the time. Voltaire was very impressed with Shakespeare and British science and empiricism, which holds schools of the need for a practical experiment and theory rather than merely holding on. However, from everything that is most impressive is the British political system. British democracy and personal freedom gives the impression that very opposite of what Voltaire saw in France. No one can expel the British royal de Cachet letre can put Voltaire into the jail. Because, if after all he was arrested wrongly, obtained an order to release soon.

When Voltaire returned to France, he wrote the first work of philosophy that typically Lettres philosophiques called Letters on the Home. The book was published in 1734 is a true sign of the reform era France. In Letters on the Home, Voltaire presents a nice overview of the British political system follows the thoughts of thinkers John Locke and other English-thinker. Publishing the book make irate French rulers and Voltaire was forced to once again lift the foot from Paris.

Voltaire spent fifteen years in Cirey, a city in northern France. There he became a lover Madame du Chatelet, the wife of a Marquis (nobleman). Mistress is intelligent and educated. Year 1750, a year after the lady died, Voltaire went to Germany for a personal invitation from Frederick the Great of Prussia. Voltaire lived three years at Frederick's residence at Potsdam. At first he fits with Frederick the intellectual and brilliant, but in 1753 they fought and Voltaire left Germany.

After leaving Germany Voltaire settled on a farm near Geneva. There he can secure interference either from France or the kings of Prussia. However, the liberal view makes even the Swiss no longer safe for him. In 1758 he move to a new plantation in Ferney, located near the French-Swiss border, making it easier for it to run there or over here if there are difficulties with the authorities. Here he lived for twenty years, immersing themselves in the work of literature and philosophy, inscribed-twist of the intellectual leaders throughout Europe and received his guests.

Throughout those years, literary works of Voltaire continues to flow ceaselessly. She's really a fantastic writer with a style, perhaps the most widely author book in this book list. All told, a collection of his writings over 30,000 pages. These include epic, lyrics, personal letters, pamphlets, novels, short stories, drama, and serious books about the history and philosophy.

Voltaire always had a firm belief of religious tolerance. When the age of 60's, a number of events chilling about the pursuit and pelabrakan against Protestants in France. Stirred and furious, Voltaire dedicated himself to the "intellectual jihad" against religious fanaticism. All these letters always closing with the sentence "Ecrasez l'infame" which means "Down with the damn things!" The definition of Voltaire's "bloody good" is kejumudan and fanaticism.

In 1778, when he was already signed in eighty-three years, Voltaire returned to Paris, watched his new drama Irene. Public crowded shouted "Long live the old rooster! Life mastermind of pure renewal France!" Thousands admirers, including Benjamin Franklin, to visit her. However, the age of Voltaire had reached the edge, He died in Paris on May 30, 1778. As a result of anti-church attitude, he did not get a Christian burial. However, thirteen years later, the French revolutionaries who had seized victory again dug the grave and buried in the Pantheon of Paris.

Voltaire's writings so very much that it's hard to make the whole list here although the snapper-kakapnya just in this short article. Although so many written works, the more important fact that the main idea dikemukakannya during his life. One of the founding of tergigih are guaranteed absolute freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Famous phrase often attributed to Voltaire is saying "I disagree with what you say, but I defend to the death your right to say it." Although Voltaire might never sepersis saying that, but certainly the phrase truly reflects the real attitude of Voltaire.

Another principle is that Voltaire, belief in religious freedom. Throughout his career, he opposed the unshakable religious intolerance and condemnation associated with religious matters. Although Voltaire believed in God, he was firmly opposed to the majority of religious dogmas and with solid he said that the organization based keagaman basically a fraud.

It is quite natural if Voltaire had never believed that the titles of the French aristocracy by itself guarantee the quality advantages, and basically every person is knowledgeable that the so-called "sacred rights of the King" is actually nonsense. And even Voltaire himself away from the pieces of a modern Democrat (he's biased agreeing to a strong form of the kingdom but has the innovations), the main impetus ideas clearly oppose any authority obtained on the basis of lineage. Because it is not surprising that the bulk of his pro-democracy. Political ideas and religion is thus in line with the reform schools of France, and an important contribution that the French Revolution in 1789.

Voltaire was not a scientist, but he put a great interest in science and attitudes staunch empiricist view of John Locke and Francis Bacon. He is also a serious historian and capable. One of the most important work is a book about the history of the Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations. This book is different from the general description of the history that never existed before in two respects: First, Voltaire admitted that Europe is only a small part of the world as a whole, so he focuses most of his observations on the history of Asia. Second, Voltaire thought that the history of culture is - in general - far more important than political history. His book itself is more related to socio-economic conditions and development of art than about the kings with all kinds of battles.

Voltaire was not an original philosopher approached as a character in this book list. To some extent he departed from the views of others such as John Locke and Francis Bacon, to strengthen their opinion or popularized them. Through the writings of Voltaire is, more than anyone else, the idea of democracy, religious tolerance and intellectual freedom throughout Europe developed. Although there are important writers of the other (Diderot, d'Alembert, Rousseau, Montesquieu and others) in the French reform, Voltaire considered more worthy of all the leaders. He was prominent leaders of the movement. First, yangmenggigit literary style, his long career, and writings that attract so many followers who do not tertandingkan by writers everywhere. Second, his ideas fully characterized by innovation. Third, Voltaire figures precede another important from the point of time. Montesquieu's major work The Spirit of Law's newly published in 1748; the first volume of the famous Encyclopedie was only published in 1751; Rousseau's essay was first written in 1750. While Letters on the Home was Voltaire had appeared in 1734 and he was famous sixteen years before the book came out.

The writings of Voltaire with the exception of a short novel Candide very few people now read. All these books and read widely spread during the 18th century, because it was Voltaire hold an important role to change the climate of public opinion which ultimately culminated in the French Revolution. And its influence is not only limited in France: the American people like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin was also familiar with his writings.

Voltaire is interesting to compare with famous contemporaries friend Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Voltaire's view that all rational. more influential. Instead, Rousseau is more original and more influential work on this today. Michael H. Hart,One hundred most influential figures in the history.