Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) By: Tommy Donohoe, Kathryn Fong, Ben Pollock, & Jamal Williams

Early Life Voltaire was born into an upper-class family on November 21,1694 in Paris, France and was the youngest of five children. When Voltaire was just seven years old, his mother passed away. Following her death, he grew closer to his skeptic godfather. He attended a school taught by Jesuits. In 1704, Voltaire began showing hope as a writer while getting a three part learning process (classical education). In the early years of this process, you take in facts and learn the main things you need to know. During the middle years, you learn how to get through arguments, and in high school years, you learn how to demonstrate yourself.

Main Beliefs Voltaire criticized religious traditions. He didn’t necessarily not believe in a supreme being, but thought religion should be a matter of observation, not faith. He believed in religious freedom He was against monarchy, militarism and slavery Despite being anti-slavery, Voltaire did believe that races must have different origins, and therefore some had varying intelligence. He was a strong believer in freedom of speech, as well as religion, and political beliefs. He believed that giving people these rights should be a high priority for a government.

Published Works Voltaire’s works fell into four major categories: poetry, plays, historical works, and philosophical works Epic Poems Plays Historical Works Philosophical Works Henriade (1723) Oedipus (1718), Mahomet (1736), Nanine (1749) The Age of Louis XIV (1751) The short stories: Micromégas (1752) and Plato's Dream (1756) The Maid of Orleans (1730, was never fully completed) The dramatic tragedy Mariame (1724) Essay on the Customs and the Spirit of the Nations (1756) The famed satirical novella Candide (1759). Originally attributed to Dr. Ralph, he tried to distance himself from it after was condemned by the church and government. Zaїre (1732), centered on the fatal flaw of the protagonist. The History of Charles XII, King of Sweden (1735) Dictionnaire philosophique (1764) (encyclopedic dictionary embracing the concepts of Enlightenment and rejecting the ideas of the Roman Catholic Church.)

Influences/Legacies Voltaire is known for being a wisdom writer. He was also known for being a courageous writer who fought tirelessly for civil rights. Voltaire was influenced by other enlightenment writers and by the debate of old or new genres, which can also just be called a literacy debate. He was influenced greatly by John Locke and Isaac Newton. He spread Newtonian physics around Europe. Voltaire became known for his use of satire, or, writing in a witty, sarcastic style. A poem was written about him in 1939, Voltaire at Ferney His writing would have a big impact on the United States, as many ideas from the current Bill of Rights and Constitution show. Many of his main ideas such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion are featured in our Bill of Rights and Constitution.

Fun Facts He became enormously wealthy by exploiting the French lottery He for a short period of time worked as a spy for the French government. He kept a close correspondence with Frederick The Great in the 1730s and in 1750 moved to Prussia to join Frederick’s court. He left the court in 1753. He wrote prolifically producing more than fifty plays, dozens of scientific, philosophical, and political treatises, and a few books. He also kept close correspondence sending over 20,000 letters He adopted the nom de plume Voltaire in 1718 after the completion of his first play He was fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, Latin, and Greek

Quotes “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.”. “Common sense is not so common.” “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” “Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.” “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.” “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” “The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.”

Works Cited Mastin, L. (n.d.). Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) By Individual Philosopher Philosophy. Retrieved October 27, 2015. Andrews, E. (2014, November 21). 10 Things You Should Know About Voltaire. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about- voltaire The Enlightenment in Europe. (2012). In World History: Patterns of Interaction. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Chew, R. (2014, November 24). Voltaire | Author and Philosopher. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/voltaire.html Cronk, N. (n.d.). Voltaire and Enlightenment. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/www_vf/about_voltaire/enlightenment.ssi Gopnik, A. (2005, March 7). VOLTAIRE'S GARDEN - The New Yorker. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/03/07/voltaires-garden Hewett, C. (2006, August 1). The Great Debate: Life of Voltaire. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/Voltaire.html Pomeau, R. (n.d.). Voltaire | biography - French philosopher and author. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/biography/Voltaire Shank, J. (2009, August 31). Voltaire. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/voltaire/ Voltaire - Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.egs.edu/library/voltaire/biography/ Voltaire - Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.egs.edu/library/voltaire/quotes/ Voltaire Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/voltaire-9520178 Voltaire Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/voltaire.html