 Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her, but once they are in hand, he or she must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game. A pen name conceived and adopted in the cold depths of the French Bastille, Voltaire, born Francois-Marie Arouet in 1694, was destined for literary prestige in an era known as the French Enlightenment. A prolific playwright, scientist, revolutionary, and philosopher, this video will focus on the latter. However, to understand Voltaire's unconventional philosophic model, it is necessary we make use of each. Set to have spent up to 18 hours a day writing, Voltaire wrote more than 50 plays, multiple books, some 20,000 letters, and dozens of treatises on science. This may have been fueled by the near 50 cups of coffee he is rumored to have drunk per day. We'll skip forward in the life of Voltaire to 1729 when he was just 35 years old. Up until this time, Voltaire, like many other writers and intellectuals of the 18th century, was bound by financial shackles, requiring favor from the wealthy, thus limiting the scope of their expression. This changed after winning a sort of lottery put on by the French government. This financial freedom cleared the path for the birth of a revolutionary. In 1734, Voltaire published the Philosophic Letters at the age of 40. Prior to this, his life did not particularly direct toward philosophy. The Philosophic Letters originally named Letters on England offered readers an empirically recognizable account of English society, containing in them letters on John Locke, Francis Bacon, and on the details of Newtonian natural philosophy. This work was published without Voltaire's permission and led him to flee Paris after it caused public outrage and considerable controversy. Many of the copies were publicly burned by the authorities. He stated it is dangerous to be right and matters on which the established authorities are wrong. And these philosophic letters strongly criticized existing French institutions. Voltaire fled 250 kilometers or 155 miles away to Siree, the home of friend and lover Emily Dushat-Delay. Dushat-Delay was an extraordinary mathematician in her own right, translating Newton's Principia Mathematica, or in English, mathematical principles. She also authored original treatises in natural philosophies. These two were not only a romantic partnership, but also an intellectual one. Around the same time, the philosophic letters was published, Voltaire and Dushat-Delay co-authored elements of the philosophy of Newton. This work was created to give an accessible doorway to the philosophy of Isaac Newton for the common person, since Voltaire believed this to be such a large portion of the French people. Without the support of the people, their goal of bringing France out of the fell clutches of superstition and into the scientific enlightenment of Newton would be futile. Soon after the spread of their work, war broke out within France. Not a war of arms, but a war of cultures. This culture war was centered on the character and value of Newtonian natural philosophy. Around 1750, Knight began turning today, and enlightened Newtonianism was on the horizon. 1756 came, and Voltaire, along with many of his contemporary, published an essay on universal history, The Manners and Spirit of Nations. And it contained the history of Europe before Charlemagne and up until the age of Louis XIV. Part this work was a call to reason in a rejection of superstition as well as myth. Voltaire argued that Christianity was not essential for civility or morality. He did this by presenting a sort of commonality between cultures and creeds, proposing that instead of specific superstition and dreams guiding societal morality, it was instead the universal recognition of a supreme being that provided the basis for morality. Voltaire's religious beliefs were that of a deist. While he did believe in a God, he was vehemently against the organized religion of 18th century France, as it perpetuated superstition and myth. He is quoted saying, those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. Almost certainly referring to the countless wars, persecutions, and as he himself put it, atrocities committed in the name of God. In his writings, Voltaire is more often critical that Christian religion simply due to the fact that it was all around him. But he is also known to criticize Islam and Judaism. It is clear that he did not want to abolish religion, but instead to do away with the superstition and advocate for tolerance of other religions and denominations. He said that superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy, the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth. After the death of Duchess Delay in 1749, Voltaire joined the court of Frederick the Great for a short time. This ended in a disagreement between Voltaire and the president of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Montpère-Tuit. Voltaire published his satire depicting Montpère-Tuit as a philosophic fool. Frederick cited against Voltaire in this battle of intellectuals. Afterward, giving Voltaire the option to either retract his words or leave Berlin. Voltaire chose to leave Berlin, traveling to and settling in the hinterlands between Switzerland and France in a place called Farnay. While here, Voltaire proclaimed himself a member of the Party of Humanity. In a letter written to Jean Lérand de Alhambére, Voltaire said whatever you do, crush the infamous thing and love those who love you. He said this in reference to the obliteration of superstition. This is where the saying, crush the infamy, became synonymous with the name Voltaire. From the same time in 1755, Voltaire joined the likes of Diderot and de Alhambére in contributing to the encyclopedia. The goal of this work was to change the way that people thought and to advocate for secular ways of thinking, this directly opposing the Jesuits. It goes without saying that the established French authorities were not fond of this work and went to great lengths to suppress its reach. Voltaire fought with all the wit and vigor he possessed in order to defend it from its ecclesiastic attackers. He wished to liberate the minds of the masses and bring to fruition their goal of complete equality for all thought. He said, think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too. Let us jump forward to 1764, in this year Voltaire published the Philosophical Dictionary. While this book did republish many of the articles that were present in the encyclopedia, it also contained new entries that reflected much of the same points of view of the original encyclopedia. Perhaps the real value of this work laid in its ability to reach out from any section and invite personal reflection, from natural law and truth to superstition and tyranny who find many topics that stimulate contemplation about the nature of society. With such a large library, it can be overwhelming trying to extrapolate a clear and complete view of his beliefs. In the case of Voltaire, it is important to not only view his works of philosophy, but to also take from his various fictional stories, satires, poems, pamphlets, and other less obvious philosophic genres. Voltaire was a deist, however, he maintained a naturalistic worldview. It is important to note that he was not against religion, but instead was against the superstition that often surrounded it. He fought for tolerance and personal liberty, even for those whose ideas directly opposed his own. This was of course as long as their ideas were not murderous and megalomaniacal. He stated, I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. He wished to bring the ideas of various scientists and philosophers, such as John Locke and Isaac Newton, to the mind of not just the learned, but also to the common men and women of Europe. He measured the worth of a philosophy by its ability to incite social and political change. Voltaire argued that every claim and every creed should be subject to the same critical reason as a scientific theory. He said no problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. In an age where speaking against the established authority was a surefire way to the Bastille and where superstition was seen as its efficient substitute for reason, this line of thinking was no less than revolutionary. After the death of Voltaire in 1778, many thousands mourned his death, and even the French officials whom he so long quarreled with honored him with respect. His heart still remains in France's national library. If you ever find yourself in Paris, stop in to visit one of Western philosophies most influential in the rebellious minds. The accomplishments of this man were endless, and to get a full picture I encourage you to read more into his works, because this video only scratches the surface. I would be eternally grateful if you would like the video and subscribe to the channel. Thank you for talking philosophy with me, until next time.