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JA7. Voltaire

Statement

Present a 3-page research paper on one of the three thinkers presented. How do their thoughts agree or disagree with yours? This is a broad topic, but remember what we said about exploring many options. You have the option here to teach yourself and your reader more about the philosopher of your choosing from this week.

Remember, your personal philosophy is right for you, you do not have to agree with these scholars or anyone in the class. Please respect yourself, as a learner, enough to state your case, and others enough to allow them to state theirs.

Steps:

  • Pick a philosopher from the current unit.
  • Describe how that person’s view affects you and your culture.
  • You may wish to ask:
    • What is most interesting?
    • Why did he think that way?
    • What led him to his conclusions?
    • How are his thoughts the same as mine? Do they fit into my culture? Why, or why not?
    • How can his thoughts be used in the modern era, directly by you and your family? At work?
  • You may come up with your own challenges and questions too.

This is your paper. The topic is “Philosopher X” and you may take it from there. Do not just right a high-school-level book report or biography. This is college; engage the reader in something interesting.

Guidelines:

  • Does the paper clearly identify the chosen Philosopher and give a brief explanation of why he was chosen?
  • Does the paper list similarities and differences between the Philosopher and writer?
  • Does the writer give at least two examples of the Philosopher’s thoughts or theories in a way that makes it clear to you what they are?
  • Presentation of reasonable argument for, or against, the logic of the thinker chosen.

Answer

This text discusses Voltaire as its chosen philosopher. Voltaire was an 18th-century French philosopher; he was a key figure in the Enlightenment movement; he criticized church and monarchy, and his views echoed in both the French and American revolutions; he was a writer who wrote books, plays, poems, and polemic; his most famous work was the 1759th-novel, Candide (Britannica, 2024).

Voltaire’s philosophical views reflect his deism, which means that he believed that there was a God who created the universe but then left it to run on its own without interference. Voltaire was a strong advocate for freedom of speech and religion; he was a critic of the church and the monarchy; he was a supporter of civil liberties and free trade (The School of Life, 2016). Voltaire also believed in reason, science, and justice; he insisted on religious tolerance and that no state or religion is immune to challenges (Lumen Learning, 2024).

The writer’s views are similar to Voltaire’s views on some matters; for example, the writer believes in freedom of speech and religion, science, and justice. All of these values are important to the writer and to the modern world in general. The writer, despite being religious and finding faith important, believes in a strong separation of church and state; and the role of religion should be spiritual and moral, not political, legal, or economic; this view is similar to Voltaire’s view on religion.

The writer’s views are different from Voltaire’s views on some matters; for example, the writer believes in the existence of God similar to Voltaire, but the writer follows Islam, thus, he believes in a traditional God that monitors the universe and knows and controls everything. While Voltaire believes that religion can be challenged, the writer believes that religion is one unit, thus, it can be taken as is or not taken at all.

One example of Voltaire’s thoughts is his statement “If God had not existed, it would have been necessary to invent him”. This statement reflects Voltaire’s deism and his belief in the importance of religion in society and also points out the limitation of science that Voltaire believed in. The things that science cannot explain or control are assigned to some entity that is stronger than humans or God.

Another example of Voltaire’s thoughts is his statement “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. This statement reflects Voltaire’s strong belief in freedom of speech and religion; this statement is strong enough to be the basis of modern democracy and tolerant societies.

The text has presented reasonable arguments for, or against, the logic of Voltaire. Voltaire’s views on the freedom of speech are the most interesting to the writer as we saw their effect on the American and French revolutions, but still affect the world today as the basics of modern democracy. I think the circumstances that he confronted led Voltaire to his conclusions as he witnessed the civil and religious wars and the brutal punishments imposed by both the church and the monarchy on people who had different views.

To conclude, Voltaire is an admirable philosopher who enlightened the world and the light that he sparked along with other philosophers in that era is still shining today. The modern world almost takes Voltaire’s views for granted as things like freedom of speech and religion are considered basic human rights, but it is important to remember that these views were revolutionary at the time and Voltaire paid a high price for them.

References