Voltaire

1. French thinker, writer, philosopher,

Voltaire (1694.11.21-1778.05.30): His original name was Fran?ois-Marie Arouet, and Voltaire was his pen name. French Enlightenment thinker, writer, and philosopher. Voltaire was the standard-bearer of the French bourgeois Enlightenment in the eighteenth century and was known as the "King of French Thought", "France's finest poet" and "the conscience of Europe".

Quotes

The Story of Voltaire

Voltaire’s regimen unfolds

Portrait of Voltaire

Character Profile

Voltaire not only made outstanding achievements in philosophy, but was also famous for defending civil liberties, especially freedom of belief and judicial justice. He was arrested and imprisoned twice. He advocated an enlightened democratic system and emphasized freedom and equality. Despite the harsh censorship of his time, Voltaire openly supported social reform. His discourses were characterized by satire, often attacking the dogma of the Christian church and the French education system at that time. Hugo once commented: "Voltaire's name represents not a person, but an entire era." He advocated the natural human rights advocated by Rousseau, believing that people are born free and equal, and that all people have the ability to pursue survival. , the right to pursue happiness. This right is given by nature and cannot be deprived. This is the idea of ??natural human rights.

Biography

Voltaire was born in a wealthy middle-class family in Paris and received a good education since he was a child. His father was a legal notary and wanted him to be a judge in the future, but he became interested in literature and later became a literati. Voltaire Voltaire was quick-thinking and versatile throughout his life. His works are known for their harsh language and satirical tone. He said: "Laughter can defeat everything. It is the most powerful weapon." He was thrown into the Bastille twice for his pungent satire on feudal absolutism. His books were banned and he was expelled from the country many times. In 1725, he was forced to go into exile in England and became deeply interested in the politics and culture of the British bourgeoisie. He studied the British bourgeois constitutional monarchy, Locke's materialist empiricism and Newton's theory of gravity.

Voltaire experienced the rule of three feudal dynasties, Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI, witnessed the rise and fall of feudal absolutism, and personally felt the decay of feudal absolutism. and reactionary. He profoundly foresaw that the revolution would inevitably come. He said to his friends: "Everything happening around me is sowing the seeds of revolution. Although I may not be a witness to the revolution myself, it is bound to come."

Voltaire wrote a large number of literary works, among which the famous epic poems "Henriade" and "The Maid of Orleans", the tragedy "Eudibber", the comedy "The Son of a Loose", and the philosophical novel "Candide" "Innocent Man". He also wrote many historical works, such as "The Age of Louis XIV" and "On the Customs and Spirits of Various Nationalities". In terms of philosophy, his representative works include "Philosophical Dictionary", "Treatise on Metaphysics", "Newton's Principles of Philosophy" and other works. One of the most influential books is "Philosophical Correspondence", which is called "the first to invest in the old system". Bomb."

Voltaire's extraordinary intelligence, sharp thinking, and his exposure of the dark feudal absolutism gave him a high reputation among the people. The rulers also wanted to take advantage of him. Louis XV asked him to be his court historian, King Frederick II of Prussia treated him as a guest of honor, and Empress Catherine II of Russia once visited him, but they all ended up unhappy because of his rebellious thoughts. The painful experience made him determined not to associate with any king again. Voltaire Voltaire scathingly attacked the dark reign of the Catholic Church. He compared the pope to a "bipedal beast", called the priests "civilized villains", and said that Catholicism was "the most shameful trap laid by some cunning people." He called on "everyone to fight in his own way against the appalling religious fanaticism, some biting his ears; others stepping on his belly, and still others scolding him from a distance." But Vol Tai was not an atheist, but a deist. He believed that religion was indispensable to rule the people. He said, "Even if there is no God, we must create a God."

Voltaire believed in the theory of natural rights, believed that "people are essentially equal" and demanded that everyone enjoy "natural rights". He advocated equality before the law, but believed that inequality in property rights was inevitable. He idealized the British constitutional monarchy, believing that the ideal was for an "enlightened" monarch to govern the country according to the opinions of philosophers. In philosophy, he acknowledged the objective existence of the material world and affirmed that knowledge comes from sensory experience. However, he also believed that God is the "first mover" of the universe. He despised working people and believed that they could only do menial work. Unable to think, he said, "When the common people think, everything will be over."

It is not surprising that Voltaire, as a bourgeois thinker, had limitations in every aspect. Because his body is also deeply marked by the era and class he lives in.

However, his huge contribution in the anti-feudal enlightenment movement is still worthy of eternal commemoration.

Voltaire's literary views and tastes basically inherited the legacy of 17th-century classicism, which was mainly reflected in his poetry and tragedy creations. His epic poem "Henriade" (1728) is based on the religious wars in France in the 16th century. It tells the story of Henry IV of the Bourbon dynasty who ascended the throne after winning the civil war and issued the Edict of Nantes to protect the freedom of belief of Protestants. Henry IV in the epic is celebrated as an example of an enlightened monarch. Voltaire's philosophical poems are thorough in reasoning, and his satirical poems are witty and unique. Voltaire was mainly engaged in drama creation throughout his life and wrote more than 50 plays, most of which were tragedies. The most valuable of Voltaire's literary works are his philosophical novels. This is a new genre he created, using a joking tone to tell absurd stories, alluding to and satirizing reality, and elucidating profound philosophies. While Voltaire was living in England from 1726 to 1729, he devoted himself to investigating the British political system, philosophy and literature. After returning to China, he published the Philosophical Letters (also known as the British Letters, 1734) to promote the achievements of the British bourgeoisie after the revolution. Criticized France's authoritarian regime. The tablets were banned immediately after publication, and the Paris court ordered the arrest of the author. He fled to his girlfriend, Mrs. Atlet's manor in Xirei Village, and lived in seclusion for 15 years.

In 1746, he was elected as an academician of the French Academy. Voltaire, holding the illusion of an enlightened monarch, came to Berlin in 1750 at the invitation of King Friedrich II of Prussia. He originally wanted to make a difference in politics, but Frederick II treated him as a literary acolyte. The painful experience made him determined not to associate with any king again.

During this period, he got close to the younger generation of Enlightenment thinkers and wrote articles for the Encyclopedia, which were later included in his book "Philosophical Dictionary" (1764).

In 1753 he left Berlin and settled in Switzerland.

Since 1760, he has settled in Fernay Manor on the border of France and Switzerland. He has maintained frequent correspondence with people from various European countries, and actively participated in social activities. He wrote a large number of pamphlets to expose religious persecution and judicial system under authoritarian government. Department of Darkness.

During this period, religious factional struggles broke out in France, resulting in a large number of refugees. Voltaire sheltered hundreds of families of refugees in his estate. He also fought against injustice many times, seeking justice for the poor and redressing unjust cases. The one with the greatest impact was the Kara incident.

On October 13, 1761, a terrible tragedy occurred in a house on rue Feratier in Toulouse. The owner of the family, Jean Carat, was a respected Huguenot (Calvinist Protestant) businessman.

Late that night, Jean Carla discovered that her eldest son, Marc-Antoine, had committed suicide by hanging from a beam in the shop. The whole family panicked, and his mother burst into tears, alarming the neighbors. Suddenly, someone in the crowd of onlookers said: "Mark Antony was killed by his parents because he chose Catholicism." Catholicism and Protestantism have experienced religious wars in the 16th century, and have been in opposition for more than two hundred years. Still very sharp. Voltaire, a judge in Toulouse (note: the judge, not the church) came after hearing the news. He did not investigate or interrogate, and did not even take a look at the scene. He ordered everyone who was at home on the night of the "murder" incident Arrested and brought to justice.

Why did Mark Antony commit suicide? It turned out that this 28-year-old young man had studied law and wanted to be a lawyer, but because he could not get a Catholic certificate, he was forced to engage in business. He wanted to get a sum of money from his father to start a business, but was rejected by his father. Disappointed, he went to a cafe every day to drink to drown his sorrows. Later, because he was in debt, he felt that his future was bleak, so he committed suicide in a single thought.

How could a gray-haired, nearly 70-year-old man hang a young and strong man to death? The crime of "murder" is obviously difficult to establish. Prosecutor Diku was upright and went to court to defend Lao Kara, but was suspended for three months. Lawyer Sudel wanted to clarify the truth, but the judge, who was caught up in the excitement, refused to listen. Instead, he thought the lawyer was incompetent. The presiding judge abused his power and forced Carla to confess his accomplice. Carla spoke sternly and said categorically: "Since there is no crime, how can there be an accomplice?"

On March 10, 1762, the court ignored all odds and acquitted him. Based on the evidence, he was brutally sentenced to death by splitting a truck into a truck. Before his execution, Lao Carla said sadly and angrily: "I have told the truth, and I died innocently..."

Not long after the incident, Voltaire heard various rumors. He has always been skeptical of the church and believes that both Catholics and Protestants are shameless people. The tragic experience of the old man Voltacara aroused his incomparable indignation against the church and judicial authorities, and he was determined to fight for human dignity and freedom of belief.

He calmly and personally investigated and collected evidence through various channels, and summoned Carla's two sons, who had been exiled to Geneva, to Fernay. Compare the reactions heard from passengers to make a personal judgment on the entire event. During this period, he published the confessions of the two Carla brothers, wrote a pamphlet exposing this inhumane injustice, and provided all expenses for Mrs. Carla and brought her to Paris to attract the attention of public opinion. On February 3, 1763, Voltaire personally wrote a letter of appeal, concluding that "I am sure that this family is innocent." On March 7, the Privy Council ordered a retrial of the case, and the old man Kara and his family who had suffered injustice were finally vindicated.

At the end of this year, Voltaire published the famous "On Religious Tolerance", which violently criticized the religious persecution of the reactionary church and the dark phenomenon of the autocratic government that disregarded human life, and elaborated on his idealism and materialism thoughts.

Later, he also campaigned for Labar, a 19-year-old knight who was also persecuted by the church, and Sylvan, a Feng Shui master over fifty years old, and finally vindicated these two unjust cases. .

Throughout his later years, Voltaire engaged in a large number of creations with more vigorous fighting spirit. He wrote 613 entries for the "Encyclopedia" and compiled it into a volume in 1764 as the "Philosophical Dictionary" Publicly published on the topic. In addition, he also published philosophical novels "Zadig" and "Innocent Man", historical works "History of Russia under Peter the Great" and "On Parliament", etc.

It is worth mentioning that during his settlement in Fernay, he maintained frequent correspondence with people from all walks of life in various European countries. According to statistics, there are more than 10,000 letters from Voltaire that have been preserved, and as many as 700 people corresponded with him. He used this method to discuss various social issues with correspondents and promote his anti-authoritarian and anti-church enlightenment ideas. Voltaire's tireless struggle won great reputation. His name resounded throughout Europe, and many celebrities came to Fernay to seek an audience. Fernay became the center of European public opinion, and the progressives at that time respectfully called Voltaire "The Father Fernay."

In February 1778, the 84-year-old Voltaire returned after an absence of 28 years. of Paris. As soon as the news spread, the whole city was in uproar. Some young people who had only heard his name but never seen him were even more ecstatic and flocked to his stay, making the surrounding streets crowded. As he passed by, the women secretly plucked one or two hairs from his fur coat and kept them as holy relics.

When he arrived in Paris, Voltaire was overly excited and had a uremia attack, and was forced to stay in bed. But he still insisted on dictating the last five-act poetic tragedy "Irena". Although the script was mediocre, when it was performed, the reaction in Paris and Versailles was very strong. The queen attended the performance, and Voltaire also dragged his sick body to appreciate the last honor and happiness.

The church people had ulterior motives and wanted to use Voltaire's prestige to increase their own worth. Therefore, they took advantage of Voltaire's death in an attempt to make some money from it.

One day, a priest sneaked into Voltaire's ward and asked Voltaire to make a deathbed confession. Although Voltaire was not an atheist but a deist, he was always at odds with the church. He knew the priest's purpose and sent him away unceremoniously.

A few days later, another abbot named Morey repeated his old trick. As soon as Voltaire saw him coming in, he asked:

"Where do you come from, priest?"

"Ah, sir, I come from God!"

"Really? Can you show me God's edict?"

Although Voltaire was seriously ill, he still maintained a clear mind and ruthlessly expressed his thoughts with his unique bitter irony. Expose the ugly face of these "wolves in monk's clothes".

On May 12, Voltaire couldn't help coughing up blood and his temperature rose sharply. The Duke of Richelieu couldn't bear to see his old friend suffer like this, so he sent him opium tincture. Voltaire was so confused that he drank all this potent sedative. Three priests broke in while he was unconscious. After he regained consciousness, they asked him if he recognized the sanctity of Christ. Voltaire had already given a negative answer in the "Philosophical Dictionary". As soon as he heard the words "Christ" and "Holy", he became furious, made an astonishing move, propped up the sick body, and pushed the priest angrily A handful and said: "Let me die in peace."

At 11 o'clock in the evening on May 30, 1778, Voltaire passed away. The reactionary church hated this blasphemous old enemy and ordered his body to be transported out of Paris overnight and abandoned in a deserted grave.

However, Voltaire’s contribution to the French Enlightenment in the 18th century cannot be erased. For most of his life he was recognized as a leader and mentor of his people. His thoughts and doctrines will educate generations, lay the theoretical foundation for the anti-feudal struggle, and arm the minds of the French people for the coming bourgeois revolution.

In 1791, when the French Revolution broke out, his body was moved to the Panthéon in Paris, and he was given a state burial. The tomb was next to Rousseau, and his heart was put into a box and stored in Paris. National Library.

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Ideological opinions

Voltaire sharply criticized the dark rule of the Catholic Church. He compared the Pope to a "two-footed beast", called the priests "the evil of civilization", and said that Catholicism is "a trap arranged by some cunning people". The most shameful trap of deception." He called on "everyone to fight in his own way against the appalling religious fanaticism, some biting his ears; others stepping on his belly, and still others scolding him from a distance." But Vol Tai was not an atheist, but a deist who advocated a tolerant attitude toward different religious beliefs. He struggled with religious prejudice throughout his life, but believed that religion was indispensable as a means of restraining human passions and vices. . He believed that to rule the people; religion was indispensable. He said, "Even if there is no God, a God must be created."

Voltaire believed in the theory of natural rights, believed that "people are essentially equal" and demanded that everyone enjoy "natural rights". He advocated equality before the law, but believed that inequality in property rights was inevitable. He idealized the British constitutional monarchy, believing that the ideal was for an "enlightened" monarch to govern the country according to the opinions of philosophers. Among the thinkers of the Enlightenment, Voltaire reflected the interests of the upper bourgeoisie and advocated an enlightened monarchy. Philosophically, he believed in the empiricism of the British materialist philosopher Locke.

Philosophically, he acknowledged the objective existence of the material world and affirmed that knowledge comes from sensory experience, but he also believed that God is the "first mover" of the universe. He despised the working people very much, thinking that they could only do menial work and could not think. He said, "When the common people think, everything will be over."

Voltaire’s huge contribution in the anti-feudal Enlightenment Movement is worthy of eternal commemoration.

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Literary Views

Voltaire’s literary views and tastes basically inherited the legacy of 17th-century classicism, which is mainly reflected in poetry and Tragic creation. His epic poem "Henriade" (1728) is based on the religious wars in France in the 16th century. It tells the story of Henry IV of the Bourbon dynasty who ascended the throne after winning the civil war and issued the Edict of Nantes to protect the freedom of belief of Protestants. Henry IV in the epic is celebrated as an example of an enlightened monarch. Voltaire's philosophical poems are thorough in reasoning, and his satirical poems are witty and unique. Voltaire was mainly engaged in drama creation throughout his life and wrote more than 50 plays, most of which were tragedies. The most valuable of Voltaire's literary works are his philosophical novels. This is a new genre he created, using a joking tone to tell absurd stories, alluding to and satirizing reality, and elucidating profound philosophies.

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Main works

Literary works, among which the famous epic poems "Henriade" and "The Maiden of Orleans" and the tragedy "Odipero" , the comedy "The Loose Son", the philosophical novels "Candide" and "The Innocent Man".

In terms of philosophy, his representative works include "Philosophical Dictionary", "Treatise on Metaphysics", "Newton's Principles of Philosophy" and other works. One of the most influential books is "Philosophical Correspondence", which is called "the one who surrendered to the old system". The first bomb".

Historical works include "History of Charles XII" (1731), "The Age of Louis XIV" (1751) and "On Customs" (1756).

Drama works include "The Orphan of China" (adapted from "The Orphan of Zhao", which was also the earliest Chinese play introduced to the West).

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Quotes

●Humanity’s most precious possession—freedom.

●If you read too many books without thinking, you will feel that you know a lot. The more books you read and think about, the more you will feel you don’t understand.

●A great cause requires an unswerving spirit.

●This is my heart, but my spirit is everywhere.

●Even if there is no God, a God must be created.

●The most remarkable function of the oracle is to ensure the victory of the war.

●Prophecies have always been made only for big people, not for ordinary people.

●Anyone who wants to preach truth to his fellow men will be persecuted unless he is the strongest. Yet the strongest almost always strengthen the chains of ignorance instead of breaking them.

●The library is a treasure house of human knowledge and errors.

●Strong confidence can enable ordinary people to do amazing things.

●No matter how high the talent is, he still needs to learn the skills to use those talents.

●A family without books is like a room without windows.

●Talent is continuous patience.

Note: "I do not agree with your point of view, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." This sentence has been misrepresented as being said by Voltaire. In fact, this sentence is in a famous poet What appears in the play "Voltaire and His Friends" is not what I said.

●The power of talent is greater than the power of education.

●The noble element in love is no less than the gentle element, the power to make people upward is no less than the power to weaken people, and sometimes it can inspire other virtues.

●Virtues and vices, moral good and evil, are all behaviors that are beneficial or harmful to society; at any place and in any era, people who make the greatest sacrifice for the public welfare are called For the most moral person.

●A learned fool is far more stupid than an ignorant fool.

●The more you read without thinking, you will feel that you know a lot; but the more you read and think, you will clearly see that you know very little. .

●A few bites from flies can never detain a galloping horse.

●To tell one’s true thoughts is a great comfort in life.

●What makes people tired is not the mountains in the distance, but the grain of sand in the shoes.

●I don’t agree with everything you say, but I will defend to the death your right to speak!

●Passion is the gust of wind that makes a ship sail, and sometimes sinks it, but without wind, the ship cannot move forward.

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Voltaire’s story

Case background

In 1761, Tulu in the Languedoc region of France There is a well-reputed businessman named Jean. Callas, a devout Protestant, was 64 years old at the time. He had six children. One of his sons, Anthony, originally believed in Protestantism. Later, in order to successfully enter the university to study law, he planned to convert to Catholicism because of his temperament. He is depressed and isolated in getting along with others. He is unwilling to be a businessman like his father. He likes to read "Hamlet" and the works of the ancient Roman eclectic philosopher Seneke on suicide. On the evening of October 13, 1761, a guest came to the house of Callas. During the dinner, he left first. Another son of Callas took a lamp to see him out. As a result, he found Anthony hanging from the door frame. As he screamed, The whole family and neighbors came to the body of Anthony. Some Catholics immediately claimed that the Callas murdered Anthony to prevent him from converting to Catholicism. They also fabricated the story that the Protestant parents would rather kill their children than change. Belief.

Although everyone who knows the Callas family can attest to Callas' kindness and tolerance, and it is also true that his son Louis converted to Catholicism under the persuasion of the maid and did not encounter fierce opposition from Callas—— Not even the maid was replaced, and although no one could definitively prove that Anthony wanted to convert, and there was no conclusive evidence that the Callas family murdered Anthony, the case fell into the hands of a fanatical Catholic judge, David , instigated by Catholic monks, the Catholic people became excited and accused the Callas family of murdering Anthony. Anthony's funeral was also held in the Catholic church, and he was treated as a martyr with great dignity.

The case was heard by the Toulouse court, and the entire Karas family, including the guest, was imprisoned. Karas was tortured, but he did not give in and falsely confessed, even though the court could not come up with any evidence. The evidence proved that they had killed Anthony, but in the end, the vote of 8:5 resulted in Callas being sentenced to death, his property confiscated, and other family members released (some said that the daughter was forcibly sent to a convent and the son was exiled). In 1762, Callas was tortured by being broken into pieces and burned at the stake.

After this tragedy happened, a friend of Voltaire came from Languedoc to visit him and told Voltaire about the incident. This caused Voltaire to be extremely shocked. It happened that Callas The family fled to Geneva, which was very close to Voltaire's residence in Farnai. After learning the truth of the matter, Voltaire immediately began to work for Callas' rehabilitation. He spent four years mobilizing friends around him, French aristocrats, and even King Friedrich II of Prussia and Russia's newly enthroned Catherine II (Queen Catherine) to support Callas. The appeal for the case made the case a major event that shocked the whole of Europe. Voltaire's appeal finally succeeded. In 1766, four years after Callas was tortured and died, the final result of the Paris Court was that the original verdict was revoked, and the King of France also gave Callas a gift. Mrs. Si received 36,000 gold coins as a pension[2].

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Voltaire’s regimen

Overview

Voltaire was the most prestigious Enlightenment thinker in France in the 18th century , writer, philosopher. Voltaire was still a thin and sickly young man at the age of 21. Later, he relied on various health care and exercises to continuously improve his physical fitness, and finally lived to the age of 84. This cannot but be said to be a miracle. So what is his secret to longevity?

Neatness

He regards cleanliness and tidiness as a sign of education. He often bathes and changes clothes; his windows are bright and clean, and his books are in order. He was not superstitious about doctors and was not interested in general medicines. He only preferred enemas and used cinnamon solution or oily enemas to cleanse his intestines three times a week. In 1748, Voltaire fell seriously ill, but refused to take the medicine as prescribed by the doctor. Instead, he went on a hunger strike for a period of time, then ate some dried meat, toast, mussels, barley and water, and finally recovered.

Movement

He put forward the motto "Life lies in movement". He enjoys walking, running, fencing, horseback riding, swimming, mountain climbing, sunbathing and other sports. Until he was 80 years old, he still climbed mountains with his friends to watch the sunrise.

Optimistic

He values ??righteousness over wealth, often giving money and other items to young students, and paying actors for plays, but his daily life is extremely simple and simple. He is humorous, approachable and courteous to all. Voltaire once said that speaking to peasants was "like speaking to a foreign ambassador." Therefore, he has friends all over the world.