Eleanor Finch
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher, who advocated for freedom of religion, expression, and separation of church and state. He was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, and scientific expositions. Voltaire's writings were often critical of the Catholic Church, and he spent time in exile due to his harsh attacks on the government and the Church. While in England, Voltaire was influenced by the country's constitutional monarchy, religious tolerance, and freedom of speech, which he saw as a model for what he considered to be a backward France. He supported a constitutional monarchy that protected people's rights and argued for religious tolerance and freedom of thought.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Supported constitutional monarchy | Yes |
| Supported a constitutional monarchy that protects people's rights | Yes |
| Supported religious tolerance | Yes |
| Supported freedom of thought | Yes |
| Campaigned to eradicate priestly and aristo-monarchical authority | Yes |
| Supported freedom of speech | Yes |
| Supported freedom of religion | Yes |
| Supported separation of church and state | Yes |
| Supported freedom of expression | Yes |
| Supported civil liberties | Yes |
| Supported the eradication of abuses, injustice, greed, and arbitrary power | Yes |
| Supported the principle that the punishment should fit the crime | Yes |
| Criticized capital punishment and recourse to torture | Yes |
| Supported judges of integrity, chosen on the basis of merit and not by reason of their social origins | Yes |
| Supported enlightened despotism | Yes |
| Supported a strong but just prince | Yes |
| Supported the idea that a king should improve the education and welfare of his subjects | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
- Voltaire supported a constitutional monarchy that protected people's rights
- He was an advocate for religious tolerance and freedom of thought
- He campaigned to eradicate priestly and aristo-monarchical authority
- Voltaire's views on constitutional monarchy were influenced by his time in England
- He believed in an enlightened monarchy that could bring about change
Voltaire supported a constitutional monarchy that protected people's rights
Francois-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. He was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, and scientific expositions. Voltaire was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties and was at constant risk from the strict censorship laws of the Catholic French monarchy. He was also an advocate of freedom of thought and religious tolerance.
Voltaire's writings often contained the expression "écrasez l'infâme" or "crush the infamy," which referred to religious abuse and oppression. He fought for religious liberty and freedom of thought throughout his life, arguing that religious tolerance was essential for social harmony. He was distrustful of religious enthusiasm and the emphasis on human sin, believing that they represented the danger of fanaticism. Voltaire's views on religion extended to his perception of the Catholic Church as a static and oppressive force, often more rapacious than the monarchy it was meant to counterbalance.
Voltaire's beliefs about constitutional monarchy were influenced by his time in England, where he interacted with members of English high society and was exposed to the country's literary and philosophical circles. He was influenced by the ideas of John Locke and Isaac Newton, as well as English literature, particularly Shakespeare. Voltaire's experiences and observations in England shaped his thinking and contributed to his support for a constitutional monarchy that protected people's rights.
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He was an advocate for religious tolerance and freedom of thought
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher who advocated for religious tolerance and freedom of thought. He was an outspoken critic of the Catholic Church, attacking it through his writings and advocating for freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the separation of church and state. Voltaire's works often contained the expression "écrasez l'infâme" or "crush the infamy," which referred to his opposition to religious abuse and oppression, rather than to Christ or the Church itself.
Voltaire's views on religious tolerance were shaped by his time in England, where he was exposed to the country's religious tolerance and freedom of speech. In his "Philosophical Letters," he wrote, "If there were only one religion in England, there would be danger of despotism; if there were two, they would cut each other's throats. But there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness." He admired the English model of religious tolerance and saw it as a necessary prerequisite for social and political progress, considering it a useful example for what he perceived as a backward France.
Voltaire's support for religious tolerance extended beyond just his writings. He actively campaigned to eradicate priestly and aristocratic-monarchical authority, believing that a constitutional monarchy that protected people's rights was the best form of government. He advocated for civil liberties and was at constant risk due to the strict censorship laws of the Catholic French monarchy. His works frequently satirized intolerance and religious dogma, as well as the French institutions of his time.
Voltaire's advocacy for freedom of thought was evident in his writings, where he rejected everything irrational and incomprehensible. He championed the idea that "it is up to us to cultivate our garden," indicating his belief in the power of individual thought and action. His famous saying, "I may disagree with you, but I defend to the death your right to say it," embodies his commitment to freedom of expression and tolerance of differing opinions.
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He campaigned to eradicate priestly and aristo-monarchical authority
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. He was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, and scientific expositions. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books and pamphlets. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties and was at constant risk from the strict censorship laws of the Catholic French monarchy. He was also one of the first authors to become renowned and commercially successful internationally.
Voltaire mainly argued for religious tolerance and freedom of thought. He campaigned to eradicate priestly and aristo-monarchical authority, and supported a constitutional monarchy that protected people's rights. He discovered the virtues of religious liberty early on in his life, during his stay in England. He was intrigued by Britain's constitutional monarchy in contrast to French absolutism, and by the country's greater freedom of speech and religion. He studied England's religious tolerance, philosophical rationalism, and the natural sciences. He also greatly admired English religious tolerance and freedom of speech, and saw these as necessary prerequisites for social and political progress. He saw England as a useful model for what he considered to be a backward France.
Voltaire's works, especially his private letters, constantly contain the word l'infâme and the expression écrasez l'infâme (crush the infamy). This expression clearly refers to religious abuse and oppression, not to Christ or the Church. However, Voltaire’s opinion about revealed religion, Christianity in particular, was negative. For him, dogma and specific beliefs were an obstacle, rather than an aid. He considered the Jewish people to be a small desert nation without a culture that had unduly undermined the achievements of much greater civilizations. He was equally unkind to the content of the Gospels.
Voltaire distrusted democracy, which he saw as propagating the idiocy of the masses. He long thought that only an enlightened monarch could bring about change, given the social structures of the time and the extremely high rates of illiteracy. He believed it was in the king's rational interest to improve the education and welfare of his subjects. He perceived the French bourgeoisie to be too small and ineffective, the aristocracy to be parasitic and corrupt, the commoners as ignorant and superstitious, and the Church as a static and oppressive force useful only on occasion as a counterbalance to the rapacity of kings, although all too often, even more rapacious itself.
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Voltaire's views on constitutional monarchy were influenced by his time in England
Voltaire admired England's religious tolerance and freedom of thought, which he saw as necessary for social and political progress. In his "Philosophical Letters," he wrote, "If there were only one religion in England, there would be danger of despotism; if there were two, they would cut each other's throats. But there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness." This observation led him to advocate for religious tolerance and freedom of religion, which he considered essential for any just society.
Voltaire's time in England also exposed him to the country's philosophical rationalism and natural sciences. He was attracted to the philosophy of John Locke and the ideas of Sir Isaac Newton. England's skeptical empiricism influenced his own philosophical attitudes, which tended to focus on common sense rather than originality. He also developed an interest in English literature, particularly Shakespeare, who he saw as an example for French drama despite deviations from neoclassical standards.
Voltaire's experiences in England shaped his views on governance and society. He became a strong advocate for civil liberties and the separation of church and state. He believed in the virtues of progress and civilization, and his experiences in England reinforced his belief in the importance of an enlightened monarch who could bring about positive change. However, he also recognized the potential for abuse of power and the need to hold even the monarch accountable, as seen in his support for the rights of men of letters against the arbitrary power of the king and nobles.
Overall, Voltaire's time in England played a significant role in shaping his views on constitutional monarchy. He saw England as a model for what he considered to be a backward France, and his experiences there influenced his philosophical, political, and social ideals.
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He believed in an enlightened monarchy that could bring about change
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher, who advocated for freedom of religion, expression, and separation of church and state. He was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, and scientific expositions. Voltaire was also one of the first internationally renowned and commercially successful authors.
Voltaire's writings were often critical of the government and the Catholic Church, which led to several imprisonments and exiles. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties and was constantly at risk from the strict censorship laws of the Catholic French monarchy. He supported a constitutional monarchy that protected people's rights and campaigned to eradicate priestly and aristocratic-monarchical authority. He believed in progress and the virtues of civilization and was attracted to the philosophy of John Locke and the ideas of Sir Isaac Newton.
During his exile in England from 1726 to 1729, Voltaire was influenced by the country's constitutional monarchy, religious tolerance, freedom of speech, and English literature. He studied and praised English institutions, considering them more developed and respectful of human rights than their French counterparts. Voltaire's time in England shaped his belief in an enlightened monarchy that could bring about change. He saw England as a model for what he considered to be a backward France.
Voltaire's philosophy evolved over time, and he eventually came to distrust democracy, viewing it as propagating the idiocy of the masses. He argued that, given the social structures of his time and the high rates of illiteracy, only an enlightened monarch could bring about positive change. He believed it was in the king's rational interest to improve the education and welfare of his subjects. This belief in enlightened despotism led to his association with Frederick II of Prussia, although their relationship soured due to frequent disputes.
Voltaire's works, particularly his private letters, often contained the expression "écrasez l'infâme" ("crush the infamy" or "evil thing"), which referred to religious abuse, oppression, and superstition. He fought for religious liberty and freedom of thought, and his writings satirized intolerance, religious dogma, and the institutions of his day. Voltaire's magnum opus, "Candide," is a novella that criticizes and ridicules many events, thinkers, and philosophies of his time, including Leibniz's belief in the perfection of the world.
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