Voltaire and the French Enlightenment
In this Little Blue Book Number 512, Will Durant describes François-Marie Arouet, the writer, historian, and philosopher known as Voltaire (1694-1778) as "unprepossessing, ugly, vain, flippant, unscrupulous, even at times dishonest" and "tirelessly kind, considerate, ...as sedulous in helping friends as in crushing enemies." "My trade is to say what I think," wrote Voltaire, and he did so in ninety-nine "sparkling and fruitful" volumes. He advocated for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and for the separation of church and state. In 1791, when his ashes were carried through Paris to be re-entombed in the Panthéon, 100,000 men and women joined the procession, while 600,000 flanked the streets. Written on his funeral car were the words: "He gave the human mind a great impetus; he prepared us for freedom." (Pamela Nagami, M.D.)
Genre(s): Biography & Autobiography
Language: English
| Section | Chapter | Reader | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play 01 | Ch. 1: Paris: 'Oedipe' | Pamela Nagami |
00:20:05 |
| Play 02 | Ch. 2: London: The 'Letters on the English' | Pamela Nagami |
00:05:35 |
| Play 03 | Ch. 3: Cirey: The Romances | Pamela Nagami |
00:15:55 |
| Play 04 | Ch. 4: Potsdam and Frederick | Pamela Nagami |
00:12:21 |
| Play 05 | Ch. 5: Les Délices: 'The Essay on Morals' | Pamela Nagami |
00:08:18 |
| Play 06 | Ch. 6: Ferney: 'Candide' | Pamela Nagami |
00:17:34 |
| Play 07 | Ch. 7: The 'Encyclopedia' and the 'Philosophic Dictionary' | Pamela Nagami |
00:12:44 |
| Play 08 | Ch. 8: 'Écrasez l'Infame' | Pamela Nagami |
00:21:50 |
| Play 09 | Ch. 9: Voltaire and Rousseau | Pamela Nagami |
00:15:44 |
| Play 10 | Ch. 10: Dénouement | Pamela Nagami |
00:07:37 |