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What arguments did Voltaire offer in favor of religious tolerance?

What arguments did Voltaire offer in favor of religious tolerance?

In the treatise, Voltaire argues in favour of toleration of religious belief, while reserving the right to argue strenuously against it, and denouncing religious fanaticism of all stripes. “Tolerance has never provoked a civil war; intolerance has covered the Earth in carnage.”

How does Voltaire depict religious intolerance?

Religious Intolerance Voltaire was a deist, and he detested how cruelly the church treated people of other religions. Voltaire depicts several instances in which Christians are persecuted for beliefs that simply vary from Christian doctrine.

Why did Voltaire write a treatise on tolerance?

Voltaire wrote the Treatise on Tolerance in a century in which religious wars were still causing slaughters throughout Europe, particularly in France because of the division between Catholics and Huguenots (even though both factions adhered to Christianity!).

What justifications did Enlightenment philosophers use to argue in favor of religious tolerance?

What justifications did Enlightenment philosophers use to argue in favor of religious tolerance? Were arguments in favor of religious tolerance necessarily antireligious? They argued that with toleration people would be happier and live in peace.

Which of Voltaire’s works is best known today?

His most famous works included the fictitious Lettres philosophiques (1734) and the satirical novel Candide (1759). The former—a series of essays on English government and society—was a landmark in the history of thought. Today it is considered one of the great monuments of French literature.

What religion did Voltaire believe?

Beliefs and Philosophy Voltaire, in keeping with other Enlightenment thinkers of the era, was a deist — not by faith, according to him, but rather by reason. He looked favorably on religious tolerance, even though he could be severely critical towards Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

What was the treatise on tolerance?

The Treatise on Tolerance on the Occasion of the Death of Jean Calas from the Judgment Rendered in Toulouse (Traité sur la tolérance) is a work by French philosopher Voltaire, published in 1763, in which he calls for religious toleration, and targets religious fanaticism, especially that of the Jesuits (under whom …

What point is Voltaire trying to make in this treatise?

In his Treatise on Toleration he argued that religious intolerance was against the law of nature and was worse than the “right of the tiger”: Human law must in every case be based on natural law. All over the earth the great principle of both is: Do not unto others what you would that they do not unto you.

Why was Voltaire so concerned with religious intolerance?

Voltaire was one of those thinkers who got more radical as he got older. After a successful life as a best selling poet and playwright Voltaire could have chosen a life of peace and quiet but instead became fired up with a passion to rectify the great wrong to the Calas family cause by religious intolerance.

Why was religious intolerance against the law of nature?

Voltaire argued that religious intolerance was against the law of nature. After a successful life as a best selling poet and playwright Voltaire could have chosen a life of peace and quiet but instead became fired up with a passion to rectify the great wrong to the Calas family cause by religious intolerance.

What did Voltaire mean by the natural law?

Natural law is that indicated to men by nature. You have reared a child; he owes you respect as a father, gratitude as a benefactor. You have a right to the products of the soil that you have cultivated with your own hands. You have given or received a promise; it must be kept.

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