Celebrity name: Voltaire
Date of birth: 1694- 1778
Celebrity titles: poet, playwright, essayist, novelist, historian and philosopher.
Celebrity country: France
Related introduction:
Francois? Mary? Arouet, pen name Voltaire, was an important figure in the French Enlightenment. He has a lot of knowledge, including 100 poets, playwrights, essayists, novelists, historians and philosophers. He is an advocate of free thought and liberalism.
Voltaire 1694 was born in a middle-class family in Paris, and his father was a lawyer. When Voltaire was a teenager, he studied in the Great Louis College founded by Jesuits, and also studied law for a while, but he soon gave up. When he was young in Paris, he soon became famous: he was quick-thinking, full of fun, laughing and cursing, and became a poem. However, under the old French system, such people would be in danger. Voltaire was thrown into the Bastille for writing some political poems. He spent nearly a year in prison. During this period, he wrote the epic "Henrietta", which was widely praised. Shortly after Voltaire was released in 17 18, his play Oedipus was staged in Paris and achieved great success. Voltaire became famous at the age of twenty-four, and for the next sixty years, he was a major figure in French literature.
Voltaire is not only a master of language, but also knows how to make money. He gradually became a lonely rich man. But at 1762, he had some trouble. Voltaire has become the most astute and famous orator of his time (perhaps beyond time and space), but some French nobles think that he lacks the humility that a civilian should have. This led to an open debate between Voltaire and such a noble Rouen knight. Voltaire outsmarted him in the argument, making the other side dumbfounded and ashamed. But not long after, the knight instigated a mob to suddenly beat Voltaire and later put him in the Bastille prison. Voltaire agreed to leave France and was soon released from prison. So he went to England and lived there for about two and a half years.
Voltaire's life in England was a major turning point in his life. He studies English and reads John? Locke, Francis? Bacon, Isaac? Newton and William? Some famous English works, such as Shakespeare. He also met with most of the leading British thinkers at that time. Shakespeare, English science and empiricism all left a deep impression on Voltaire. What impressed him most was the British political system. Britain's democracy and individual freedom are in sharp contrast with Voltaire's political situation in France. No English aristocrat can issue a secret order to drive Voltaire to prison. If Voltaire is detained for some improper reason, a writ of habeas corpus can release him immediately.
Voltaire returned to France and wrote his first important philosophical work, Philosophical Correspondence, which is often called English Letters. The book was published in 1734, marking the real beginning of the French Enlightenment. In the book On English Letters, Voltaire expressed his views on the British political system and John F.? Locke and other British thinkers made a generally favorable description. The publication of the book aroused the anger of the French authorities, and Voltaire was forced to leave Paris.
Voltaire spent most of the next fifteen years in Sire, eastern France. There, he became the lover of Lady Chatterley, the smart and elegant wife of a marquis. After her death 1750, Voltaire went to Germany at the personal invitation of Frederick, King of Prussia. Voltaire spent three years in Potsdam, Frederick's official residence. At first, he had a close relationship with Frederick, a talented and intelligent man, but they finally had an argument. Voltaire left Germany on 1753.
After leaving Germany, Voltaire settled in a manor near Geneva, where he could escape the persecution of the king of France and Prussia. But his liberal views even put him in a little danger in Switzerland. So in 1758, he moved to a new manor in Fournies near the border between France and Switzerland. There, if the authorities give him trouble, he can have two escape routes He lived there for twenty years, wrote many literary and philosophical works, corresponded with cultural leaders all over Europe, and received tourists.
Over the years, the number of Voltaire's literary works has not decreased. He is an incredibly prolific writer, perhaps the author with the largest number of works among the characters in this book. His collection of works has a total of more than 30 thousand pages. These include epics, lyric poems, letters, essays, novels, short stories, plays and important historical and philosophical works.
Voltaire has always been a staunch believer in freedom of religious belief, but when he was nearly seventy years old, several shocking persecution incidents occurred in France. In anger, he devoted himself to the intellectual crusade against religious fanaticism. He wrote many political pamphlets attacking religious intolerance. He also likes to end each of his personal letters with "Erasez I”infame, which means destroying notorious things. "For Voltaire, this notorious thing is religious bigotry and fanaticism.
1778, 83-year-old Voltaire returned to Paris, where he attended the first performance of his new play Goddess of Peace. Many spectators cheered him and called him the "great old man" of the French Enlightenment. Hundreds of admirers, including Benjamin? Franklin has been to his house. But Voltaire's life soon ended, and he died in Paris on May 30th, 1778. Because of his outspoken opposition to clericalism, he could not hold a Christian funeral in Paris. But 13 years later, the victorious French revolutionaries dug up his body and reburied it in the great hall of Paris. Voltaire's works are numerous, so it is difficult to list his main works in a short essay. But what is more important is the basic ideas put forward in his life. One of his strongest beliefs is that freedom of speech and the press must be practiced. There is a saying that people often think that he said, "I don't agree with what you said, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Although Voltaire has never actually made such a clear statement, it undoubtedly reflects his attitude.
Another principle of Voltaire is his belief in religious freedom. Throughout his life, he has always opposed religious freedom and religious persecution. Although Voltaire believed in God, he resolutely opposed most religious dogmas and constantly pointed out that organized religion was fundamentally hypocritical.
Naturally, Voltaire never believed that French aristocrats with titles were smarter or kinder than him, and his audience fully understood that the so-called "divine right of kingship" was nonsense. Although Voltaire himself is far from being a modern Democrat (he tends to support a powerful and enlightened monarch), his main ideas clearly and prominently oppose any form of hereditary system. Therefore, it is conceivable that most of his followers just agree with democracy; His political and religious thoughts were in the mainstream of the French Enlightenment and made substantial contributions to the French 1789 Revolution.
Voltaire himself is not a scientist, but he is interested in science. Is that Francis? Bacon and John? A staunch supporter of Locke's experimental view. He is an important and talented historian, and one of his most important works is his general history of the world "On National Customs and National Spirit". The difference between this book and most previous history books is mainly reflected in two aspects: first, Voltaire admitted that Europe is only a small part of the world, so a large part of this book is about the history of Asia; Second, Voltaire thinks that cultural history is generally far more important than political history. Therefore, his book is mainly about the socio-economic situation and artistic development, not about the war between the king and them.
As a philosopher, Voltaire is far less innovative in this book than others. To a great extent, he learned something from people like John? Locke and Francis? Bacon and other people's ideas, re-narrative, make it popular. It is through Voltaire's works (more than anyone else's) that the concepts of democratic politics, religious freedom and freedom of thought spread throughout France and many other parts of Europe. Although there are many other important writers in the French Enlightenment (Diderot, Alembert, Rousseau, Montesquieu, etc. ), it should be said that Voltaire is an outstanding leader of this movement. First of all, his pungent literary style, long career and numerous works make him have more audiences than any other writer. Second, his thought represents the whole enlightenment thought. Third, in terms of time, he appeared before all other important people. Montesquieu's masterpiece Yi Fa didn't come out until 1748; The first volume of the famous encyclopedia was published in 175 1. Rousseau's first paper was written in 175 1. But Voltaire's letters about the English were published in 1734, and he was already famous 16 years when this book was published.
Voltaire's works, except the short story "Honest Man", have few readers today, but they have a very wide audience in the18th century. Therefore, Voltaire played an important role in the change of public opinion that eventually led to the French Revolution. His influence is not limited to France: like Thomas? Jefferson, James? Madison and Benjamin? Americans like Franklin are also familiar with his works.
Make Voltaire and his contemporaries famous? Jacques? Rousseau's is more interesting. Voltaire's whole world outlook is a strong rationalism, and he is more in the mainstream of the Enlightenment than the sentimental Rousseau. In the eighteenth century, Voltaire was the most influential of the two; But Rousseau is a more creative person, and his works have great influence today.
A brief introduction to Voltaire
Voltaire (1694- 1778)
Voltaire was originally named Francois Sua and Marley Arouette; Voltaire is his pen name. Voltaire was the standard-bearer of the French bourgeois enlightenment in the18th century, and was known as "the king of ideas" and "the best poet in France". He was born in a wealthy middle-class family in Paris and received a good education since childhood. His father is a legal notary, hoping that he will become a judge in the future, but he became interested in literature and later became a scholar. Voltaire experienced the rule of Louis XIV, XV and XVI, witnessed the decline of feudal absolutism from prosperity, and personally felt the decay and reactionary rule of feudal absolutism. He deeply; He foresaw that the revolution would come, so he said to his friends, "Everything around me is sowing the seeds of revolution. Although I may not be a witness to the revolution myself, it will definitely come. "
Voltaire was quick-thinking and versatile. His works are famous for their sharp language and satirical style. He said, "Laughter can conquer everything. This is the most powerful weapon. " He was twice thrown into the Bastille for satirizing feudal absolutism. His books were banned and he himself was deported many times. He was forced into exile in England from 65438 to 0725, and became interested in the politics and culture of the British bourgeoisie. He studied the British bourgeois constitutional monarchy, Locke's materialist empiricism and Newton's theory of universal gravitation.
Voltaire wrote a large number of literary works, among which the famous ones are the epic Henry Yade, The Girl in Orleans, the tragedy Odeber, the comedy The dissolute Son and the philosophical novel The Honest Man. He also wrote many historical works, such as Louis XIV and On the Customs and Spirits of All Ethnic Groups. In philosophy, his representative works include Dictionary of Philosophy, Metaphysics, Principles of 4 Newton Philosophy, etc. Among them, the most influential work is Philosophical Exchange, which is called "the first bomb thrown into the old system".
Voltaire's extraordinary intelligence, keen thinking and exposure of dark feudal absolutism made him enjoy high prestige among the people. The ruler wants to use him, too. Louis XV asked him to be a court historian, Frederick II of Prussia treated him as a guest of honor, and Catherine II of Russia received him, but in the end, his rebellion broke with his thoughts. The painful experience made him decide not to associate with any king again.
Voltaire sharply criticized the dark rule of Cardiff Cardinal Conference. He compared the Pope to a biped, called the priest a "civilized villain" and called Catholicism "the most shameful deception trap set by some cunning people". He called on "everyone to fight the appalling religious fanaticism in their own way, and some people bit his ears;" Some people stepped on his stomach, and some people scolded him from a distance. "But Voltaire is not an atheist, but a deist. He believes that he wants to rule the people; Religion is indispensable. He said, "Even without God; We must also create a god. "
Voltaire believed in the theory of natural rights, believing that "people are equal in essence" and demanding that everyone enjoy "natural rights". He advocates that everyone is equal before the law, but he thinks that the inequality of property rights is inevitable. He idealized the British constitutional monarchy, and thought that the most ideal thing was an "enlightened" monarch to govern the country according to the opinions of philosophers. Philosophically, he acknowledged the objective existence of the material world and affirmed that knowledge originated from sensory experience, but he also believed that God was the "first promoter" of the universe. He despises the working people, thinking that they can only do rough work and can't think, saying, "When the people think, everything will be over."
As a bourgeois thinker, Voltaire has limitations in all aspects, which is not surprising. Because he is also deeply branded with the brand of his time and class. However, his great contribution to the anti-feudal enlightenment is still worthy of people's eternal commemoration.
Voltaire's China Complex
[Date: September 27, 2005] Source: Guangming Daily Author: Li Li
2004165438+1October 2 1 Yes1the 4th10th anniversary of the birth of Voltaire, the flag bearer of the French Enlightenment in the 8th century. Various commemorative activities were held in France to commemorate this outstanding French poet, writer, philosopher and historian. Among Voltaire's major works, his play Orphan of China is impressive, which is adapted from Orphan of China in Yuan Dynasty. Voltaire's love and preference for French culture during his lifetime was once again described as a beautiful story by the world at the arrival of the Sino-French Cultural Exchange Year.
Living in an era when "China Fashion" is highly respected.
Voltaire was born in a middle-class family in Paris from 65438 to 0694. When he was young, he was introverted and fragile, but his thinking was very agile. The father found the child who had been writing poetry since he was a child restless, so he sent him to the Jesuit Society and the Law School, and asked someone to find him a secretary position at the French Embassy in The Hague. However, his love affair with a local girl was firmly opposed by his parents, so Voltaire lost his job and had to return to Paris, and finally embarked on the road of literature.
At that time, Louis XIV implemented centralized system and set up industry, and French society flourished and the autocratic system reached its peak. But Louis XIV's militarism and arrogance also laid the groundwork for the complete collapse of Louis XVI's Bourbon dynasty. Victor hugo once vividly said: "Voltaire lived for 84 years, at the peak of the monarchy and at the dawn of the Great Revolution. When he was born, Louis XIV was still in power, and when he died, Louis XVI had already ascended the throne. His cradle can be regarded as the last treasure of the great dynasty, and his coffin is the first dawn of that hellish world. "
During the period of Louis XIV, the royal courtiers loved China handicrafts brought back from the East by the Portuguese. Through the collection of cultural relics, a special hobby of "China Fashion" has emerged inside and outside the court, and the signs of this "oriental flavor" popularity have already begun to appear in France.
As early as16th century, European missionaries shouldered various political and cultural missions and set foot on this strange and magical land of China. They gradually erased the smoke of "black robes" and covered up the mysterious aura of religion, becoming the earliest international sinologists. Their praise painted attractive colors on China culture and inspired Europeans' imagination of this ancient oriental country. /kloc-in France in the 0/7th century, the leading degree of sinology has fallen far behind other European countries. The publication of a number of works, such as the Yearbook of the Chinese Empire, created an "ideal China" for France and even Europe as a whole, and became one of the main sources of cultural fever in China in the18th century. It is from these works that Voltaire began to know and understand China.
Orphan of China caused a sensation in Paris.
Different from Rousseau and other enlightenment thinkers, Voltaire once pinned his hope of changing the social outlook on the elite. He had a good personal relationship with the former king of Poland, an unforgettable friendship with King Friedrich II of Prussia, and an exchange of letters with Queen Catherine of Russia, which was highly appreciated by the kings of Sweden and England. However, Voltaire was exiled many times because of his fundamental opposition to interest groups and his character of not being afraid of powerful people and sticking to his faith. However, years of wandering did not change his yearning and love for China culture.
1755 On August 20th, Voltaire's play Orphan of China, which was adapted from Orphan of Zhao, caused a sensation in the French drama circle. The works eulogize China's morality and Confucian culture, which has a great response in the cultural and literary circles of European countries, and the oriental theme is all the rage.
The Orphan of Zhao tells the epic story of the Jin state's important ministers and struggles, and the Zhao family was slaughtered in the Spring and Autumn Period. Disciple and Gongsun decided to save Zhao's orphan. In order to cheat Tu'an Gu Gongsun, Cheng Ying spared no effort to raise orphans for more than ten years, and finally waited until he came of age to avenge his family. The script was first introduced to France by Father Ma Yue in 1735. At that time, "having fun in China" was the fashion of the times that Europeans longed for. Voltaire wrote China Orphan according to the French version of Father Ma Yue.
Choosing this theme is by no means a whim of Voltaire. First of all, the tragic beauty of The Orphan of Zhao coincides with Voltaire's aesthetic view. His plays "Death of Caesar" and "Chayle" preach morality with ups and downs and fierce confrontation between good and evil, and arouse people's pursuit of ideal personality in a tragic way. Secondly, Voltaire thinks that The Orphan of Zhao embodies the essence of China's morality and Confucian culture, and the loyalty and benevolence of the characters in the story are exactly what the French society needed at that time. Thirdly, Voltaire introduced the theme of China into drama creation out of his constant concern and yearning for China culture.
Love China culture.
Voltaire was not only a prolific writer, but also a gifted philosopher and historian. He regarded non-Christian philosophy as a powerful weapon to attack the omnipotent theological view of the church God. In Voltaire's view, philosophers are people who love wisdom and truth, and ancient western philosophers have not set moral examples and ethical lessons for mankind. He mentioned Confucius in China many times in his works and letters. He thought, "Confucius is a true saint. He thinks highly of himself and is a legislator of mankind. He will never deceive mankind. No legislator has announced a more useful truth to the world than Confucius. "
1734, Voltaire was fired again for secretly publishing philosophical correspondence. While taking refuge in the home of his girlfriend, Mrs. Chatelet, he began to write "On the Spirit and Customs of All Nationalities" (hereinafter referred to as "On Customs"), which lasted 16 years and was not completed until 1756. This book shows great interest in China civilization. Voltaire pointed out that in ancient times, people in China were quite advanced. In other countries, laws are used to punish crimes, while in China, laws are used to reward good deeds. At the same time, he also raised a series of questions: Why does China always stand still? Why is China's astronomical achievements so limited? Why is there no semitone in China's music? Wait a minute. In his view, the East and the West are very different. Orientals can easily find everything they need, but they can't move forward. Although westerners acquire knowledge very late, they can make everything perfect quickly. He speculated that there may be two reasons: one is that China people have an incredible reverence for their ancestors, thinking that everything in ancient times is perfect, and the other is the nature of China people.
1778 On May 30th, Voltaire passed away. On his deathbed, he repeatedly refused to make a declaration of faith, refused to accept communion, and did not hold a deathbed ceremony. After his death, the church did not allow him to be buried in Paris, so relatives and friends had to secretly transport his body to Champaign and bury it in Seller Abbey. In the French Revolution, out of respect for the pioneer of the Enlightenment, the bourgeois revolutionary party decided to move him to the Pantheon in Paris for a state funeral. His hearse said, "He taught us freedom". Voltaire was buried in the Panthé on in Paris and has been respected and admired by people all over the world. His obsession and research on French culture has also become a much-told story in the history of Sino-French cultural exchange.
French thinker Voltaire's short stories
Voltaire, a French thinker, once wrote an abstruse mystery: "What is the longest and shortest, fastest and slowest, most divisible and widest, least valued and most regrettable thing in the world?" Without it, nothing can be done; It makes all small things disappear and all great things endless. "What is this? There are many different opinions, which are unpredictable.
A wise man named Chadiger guessed right. He said: "the longest is time, because it is endless forever;" The shortest is time, because it makes many people's plans too late to complete; Time is the slowest for those who wait; For those who are having fun, time is the fastest; It can be infinitely expanded or infinitely divided; No one paid attention at that time, and later everyone expressed regret; Without time, nothing can be done; Time can erase all the people and things that are not worthy of commemoration from people's hearts, and time can make all the extraordinary people and things go down in history forever?
What exactly is time? Time means different things to different people. For the living, time is life; For people engaged in economic work, time is money; For scholars, time is capital; For boring people, time is a debt; For students, especially middle school students, time is wealth, capital, fate and priceless.
Voltaire was bohemian and always satirized the great men of that era. But one day, he spoke highly of one of his fellow writers. One of his friends pointed out:
"It's very generous of you to praise this gentleman. You know, he often speaks ill of you behind your back! "
"It seems that we are both wrong." Voltaire said.
Several Short Stories by Philosopher Voltaire
rise again
A reader from a remote province wrote an eloquent letter to the French philosopher and writer Voltaire (1694- 1778), expressing his admiration.
Voltaire wrote back thanking him for his kindness. From then on, every 10 days, this person wrote a letter to Voltaire. Voltaire's reply is getting shorter and shorter. Finally, one day, the philosopher couldn't bear it anymore and replied with a line: "Sir, I am dead."
Unexpectedly, a few days later, the reply came again. The envelope said, "I would like to present the great Mr. Voltaire under the grave."
Voltaire wrote back soon: "I am eager to see you, please come quickly."
differentiate
No one expected Voltaire, a respected university expert, to take part in the carnival of a notorious gang. He found himself a very convincing reason. But the next night, they invited him to attend.
"Oh, man," Voltaire said mysteriously, "you can be a philosopher; Go twice and I'll go along with you. "
How can it be again
17 17, Voltaire was imprisoned in the Bastille 1 1 month for mocking the Regent Duke of Orleans. After getting out of prison, the philosopher who had suffered enough knew that this man could not be offended, so he thanked him for his generosity and let bygones be bygones. The Regent is well aware of Voltaire's influence, and he is eager to make peace with Voltaire. So both of them made a lot of proper apologies. Finally, Voltaire thanked me again and said, "Your Majesty, you are really helpful in solving the accommodation problem for me for such a long time. Thanks again. But in the future, you don't have to worry about this for me. "
chronic poisoning
Voltaire was so addicted to coffee that he drank an amazing amount of coffee in his life. A kind-hearted person once warned him: "Don't drink this drink again, it is a chronic poison, and you are slowly killing yourself!" "
"You're right, I think it must be chronic." The old philosopher said, "Otherwise, why didn't I die after drinking for 65 years?"
False praise
Voltaire, who was bohemian and always ridiculed the great men at that time, praised a fellow writer one day. One of his friends immediately pointed out, "I am sorry to hear that you praised this gentleman so generously." You know, this gentleman often speaks ill of you behind your back. "
"It seems that we are both wrong." Voltaire said.
Verify the pastor's integrity
When Voltaire was bedridden at the age of 84, waiting for his death, an affectionate priest went to his bedside and prayed for his confession-this is the consistent lesson of ordering air tickets or admission tickets for the dying. However, this stubborn old man not only did not appreciate it, but inquired about the identity of others: "Mr. Pastor, who called you?"
"Monsieur Voltaire, God sent me to pray and repent for you."
"Then show your certificate and verify your identity to prevent forgery."
Voltaire portrait:
/me? tn = baiduimage & ampct=20 1326592。 cl = 2 & amplm=- 1。 pv = & ampword = % B7 % FC % B6 % FB % CC % A9 & amp； z=0