Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet (French: François-Marie Arouet, November 21, 1694 - May 30, 1778), pen name Voltaire (pronounced: [vɔltɛːʁ]), was a French philosopher, writer and historian in the Age of Enlightenment. Known for his witticisms and criticism of Christianity (particularly the Catholic Church) and criticism of slavery, Voltaire advocated freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile and prolific writer who wrote in almost every literary genre, including drama, poetry, novels, essays, histories, and even scientific treatises. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books and pamphlets. Voltaire was one of the first writers to achieve international fame and commercial success. Not only did Voltaire have outstanding achievements in philosophy, he was also known for his outspoken advocacy of civil liberties, especially freedom of belief and judicial justice. Despite the harsh censorship of Catholic France of his day, Voltaire openly supported social reform. His discourses were characterized by satire, often attacking the dogma of the Catholic Church and the French education system at that time. Along with Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, Voltaire's writings and ideas laid the foundation for future constitutional monarchy and republicanism, and also influenced major thinkers of the American Revolution and the French Revolution. His most famous masterpiece, "Candide, ou l'Optimisme", is a novella that comments, criticizes and ridicules many events, thinkers and philosophical systems of the same period, especially Gottfried Leibniz and his belief in "the best of all possible worlds".