Aim+Voltaire

Mariah Nunes Aim:

Francois-Marie Arouet is a figure recognized for his philosophes during the era of the French Revolution. This time is also referred to as the Enlightenment. An article from the ABC-CLIO database states, “One of the foremost philosophes, François-Marie Arouet—better known as Voltaire—epitomized the Enlightenment” (Enlightenment). Voltaire “epitomized” this era, meaning he played a key role in the movement. Seeing as he “epitomized the Enlightenment,” it is clear that he is an advocate for it, or he firmly believes in what it stood for. The article continues to describe individuals of the era of Enlightenment by discussing, “ In their scientific reasoning, Enlightenment intellectuals challenged traditional Christianity by opposing the teachings and dogma of the Catholic Church” (Enlightenment). Therein lies Voltaire’s aim. Being one of the “intellectuals,” he tested tradition by going against the preachings of “dogma and the Catholic Church”. He “challenged” authority’s principles, as he believed in individualism rather than Christian comformity.

An aim of Voltaire was to rally others to see what he was doing. As a philosopher, he had many ideals that went against authority. Yet, he acted out to get people to open their eyes to reality. Another article from the database ABC-CLIO explains, “ For example, the French philosopher Voltaire alienated authorities in both France and Prussia with his radical ideas” (Ideology of Freedom: Need To Know). He “alienated” government officials, or made them feel divided from the civilians. He performed these acts in not only his home of “France” but “Prussia” as well. Thus further demonstrating his aim. He spread his ideals as far as possible to prove to people that just because administrators tell them to live a certain way, it is not necessarily right. Individualism was the spark that Voltaire used to promote his ideas. The article, Enlightenment, declares, “ In sum, many scholars consider the Enlightenment to be a liberation of the human mind” (Enlightenment). “Liberation” or freedom, for the “human mind” allowed people free will to believe and think what they chose, and that is what Voltaire aimed for. He aimed to gain people the freedom to act against tradition. Works Cited "Enlightenment." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.

"Ideology of Freedom: Need To Know." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.