Voltaire

Voltaire, born François-Marie Arouet on 21 November 1694 in Paris, was a French writer and philosopher whose work helped shape the Enlightenment. He adopted the pen name Voltaire after early literary setbacks and a spell of imprisonment for political satire. He endured a period of exile in the countryside and in England, where he encountered constitutional government, religious tolerance, and scientific rationalism that influenced his critique of absolute authority. Returning to France, he became a prolific essayist, satirist, and novelist, producing works across poetry, drama, history, and philosophy.

Voltaire's writings advocate civil liberties, freedom of expression, and the separation of church and state. He attacked religious intolerance and dogma while promoting reason, empirical inquiry, and humane reform. Among his best-known works are Candide (1759), a satirical novella that mocks philosophical optimism; the Letters Concerning the English Nation (1733), which praised Britain's constitutional and scientific culture; and the Treatise on Tolerance (1763), arguing for equality before the law and religious toleration. Other important works include Zadig and Philosophical Letters.

From the 1750s he resided at the Château de Ferney near the Swiss border, using his influence as a public intellectual to advocate reform. He died in Paris in 1778, leaving a legacy as one of the most influential figures of the Enlightenment, whose critiques of superstition, censorship, and arbitrary authority helped lay the groundwork for modern secular thought and human rights.