STORY OF CIVILIZATION, VOL IX: AGE OF VOLTAIRE
Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom
Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
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From
Wikipedia
François-Marie Arouet (21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778),
better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer,
essayist, deist and philosopher known for his wit, philosophical writings,
and defense of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and the
right to a fair trial. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform
despite strict censorship laws in France and harsh penalties for those
who broke them. A satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his
works to criticize Christian Church dogma and the French institutions
of his day. Voltaire is considered one of the most influential figures
of his time.(more)
From
ForCarl
Voltaire opposed Christian beliefs fiercely. He argued that the Gospels
were fabricated and Jesus did not exist - that they were produced by those
who wanted to create God in their own image and were full of discrepancies.
Voltaire is reputed to have proclaimed about the Bible. "In 100 years
this book will be forgotten and eliminated." Voltaire had troubles
with the authorities, but he energetically attacked the government and
the Catholic church. These activities led to numerous imprisonments and
exiles. In his early twenties he spent eleven months in the Bastille for
writing satiric verses about the aristocracy. Voltaire did not support
the dogmatic theology of institutional religions.
Voltaire Selected Works
* ŒDIPE, 1718
* Essay on Epic Poetry, 1727
* Essay upon the Civil Wars in France, 1727
* LA HENRIADE, 1728
* HISTOIRE DE CHARLES XII, 1731 - Kaarle XII:n historia
* ZAÏRE, 1732
* LETTRES PHILOSOPHIQUES SUR LES ANGLAIS, 1734 (Voltaire's satirical
attack among others on Descates' theory of vortices)
* ESSAI SUR LA NATURE DU FEU, 1739
* MÉROPE, 1743
* ZADIG, 1747 - Sallimus
* LE SIÈCLE DE LOUIS XIV, 1751
* MICROMÉGAS, 1752 (see also Giacomo Casanova's novel Icosameron)
- Micromegas, a Cosmic Romance
* L'HISTOIRE DU DOCTOEUR AKAKIA ET DU NATIF DE SAINT-MALO, 1753
* LA PUCELLE, 1755
* ESSAI SUR L'HISTOIRE GÉNERALE ET SUR LES MOEURS ET L'ESPIRIT
DES NATIONS 1756, 1761-63 - Essay on the Manner and Spirit of Nations,
and on the Principal Occurences in History
* CANDIDE, 1759 - Candide
* TRAITÉ SUR LA TOLÉRANCE, 1763 - Treatise on Toleration
* DICTIONNAIRE PHILOSOPHIQUE,
1764 - Philosophical Dictionary
* L'INGENU, 1767 - Luonnonlapsi
* LA PRINCESSE DE BABYLONE, 1768
* LE TAUREAU BLANC, 1774 - The White Bull
* ŒUVRES COMPLÈTES, (52 vol.), 1877-85
* Voltaire and the Enlightenment, 1931
* Selections, 1969
* Voltaire on Religion, 1974
* ŒUVRES COMPLÈTES, 1983-94 (in progress, 84 vols. projected)
* Selections, 1989
* A Treatise on Toleration and Other Essays, 1994
* Political Writings, 1994
* DICTIONNAIRRE DE LA PENSÉE DE VOLTAIRE PAR LUI-MÊME,
1994
“Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion that has ever infected the world.”
Articles and Links on
Voltaire
Voltaire
by Thomas S. Vernon
Chapter V. from his 1989 book
Great Infidels
Voltaire:
A Treatise on Toleration
Such is the feebleness of humanity, such is its perversity, that doubtless
it is better for it to be subject to all possible superstitions, as long
as they are not murderous, than to live without religion. Man always needs
a rein, and even if it might be ridiculous to sacrifice to fauns, or sylvans,
or naiads, it is much more reasonable and more useful to venerate these
fantastic images of the Divine than to sink into atheism. An atheist who
is rational, violent, and powerful, would be as great a pestilence as
a blood-mad, superstitious man.
Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de, biography
Voltaire
by Clarence Darrow
When Voltaire was born there was really but one church which, of
course, was ignorant, tyrannical and barbarous in the extreme. All creeds
are alike, and whenever there is but one, and the rulers honestly believe
in that one, they are bound to be ignorant, barbarous and cruel. All sorts
of heresies were punishable by death. If anyone dared to write a pamphlet
or book that questioned any part of the accepted faith, the book was at
once consigned to flames and the author was lucky if he did not meet the
same fate. Religion was not maintained by the precepts of the priest,
but by the prison, the torture chamber and the fagot. Everyone believed;
no one questioned. The religious creeds, while strict and barbarous, did
not interfere with the personal conduct of any of the rulers. They were
left free to act as they pleased, so long as they professed to believe
in the prevailing faith.
Voltaire, Author and Philosopher
VOLTAIRE'S
BASTARDS
The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
by John Ralston Saul
Voltaire and his contemporaries believed that reason was the best
defense against the arbitrary power of monarchs and the superstitions
of religious dogma. It was the key not only to challenging the powers
of kings and aristocracies but also to creating a more just and humane
civilization. While the emphasis on reason has become one of the hallmarks
of modern thought, today's rational society bears little resemblance to
the visions of the great 17th and 18th century humanist thinkers...
Worldly and Personal Influences on Voltaires Writing
Voltaire Videos
El Gran Teatro de Maese Travieso - La Enciclopedia de las Lu
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