Voltaire: The Rascal Philosopher

Few enlightenment thinkers are as famous as the French writer Voltaire. Born into a modest though socially ambitious family, he found his talent for writing early and by his late teens was punching way above his weight as a playwright and poet earning accolades and raising eyebrows for his witty use of satire to make not-so-subtle criticisms of church and state. Indeed he would spend his entire adult life dodging the authorities, often writing under multiple pseudonyms and denying authorship of most of his scandalous books, for which there was no shortage of interest among the literate class of Paris, while the government burned his prolific output on a continuous basis in the public square. In his long and productive life he would write more than 2000 books and articles- including several massive encyclopaedic volumes. He would correspond with both monarchs and nobodies, on subjects as diverse as geology and free-speech; history and biology; mathematics and religious tolerance. His fortunes would take him from the Bastille and exile to the court of Frederick the Great, back to the Bastille and exile again. His very name became synonymous with both scandal and genius, and yet despite his herculean output, he nevertheless found time to advocate for the downtrodden and oppressed classes – often at substantial personal expense. He would ferociously denounce laws and customs he believed were unjust and savage his enemies in brutal polemical arguments, yet was incredibly generous to the point of being a sucker. He had an iron wit yet was an interminable hypochondriac. He was a Frenchman who loved the English way of life, always tearing at the fabric of his corrupt society. Perhaps more than any other individual of the time, his works challenged people to think deeply about the need to evolve our institutions and culture to be more humane, rational and accountable. If you want to know a bit more about this genius who stood at the crossroads between the old Europe and the New, then join us, as we dive into life and times of Voltaire, the Rascal philosopher.
#voltaire #history #france #enlightenment #philosophy

00:00
02:57 The Hundred Years War
13:05 Franco-Spanish War & the Fronde Rebellion
20:30 Voltaire's Family Background
23:30 The Jansenists
33:00 Young Voltaire's early literary exposure
38:00 Louis XV regency and trouble
42:17 Oedipe (Oedipus)
52:00 Danger, escape, and Lord Bolingbroke
55:05 La Henriade and King Henry IV of France
57:40 Insults, duels, the Bastille and exile to England
1:07:00 Zaïre
1:08:05 La Pucelle
1:11:00 Emilie- Marquise du Chatelet and the chateau of Cirey
1:16:00 Frederick the Great of Prussia
1:23:00 Prussia
1:27:00 Les Delices and Switzerland
1:30:00 Leibniz, the philosophy of Optimism and the Lisbon Earthquake
1:31:55 Candide
1:46:31 Jean Jacques Rousseau
1:51:00 Ferney
1:53:30 The Calas affair

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For an audio-narration only version of this video please visit the Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel Podcast, via Spotify, Itunes or other leading broadcasters.

[ericastier]

As a French i have never paid attention to foreign biographies of French famous people at least not for long. This is good work, very well done and very different from the French approach. It is more balanced and neutral which is refreshing and a useful perspective as the French tend to be radically pro- or against Voltaire leading in both cases to caricatural biographies.

[jasonjones]

Youtubers like you are teaching me so much. We're lucky to live in an age of information and for creators like you.

[martincox]

I don’t remember crying at the end of a You tube video before! As a fellow Australian can I just thank you so much for your amazingly comprehensive, enlightening, (no pun intended) entertaining, thoughtful, relaxed, humorous approach to an amazing man! Absolutely fabulous!

[RileyRampant]

This was extraordinarily good. Loved the rich historical background, the wit, the comprehensiveness of description. 5 stars, 5 bags of popcorn.

[naughtiusmaximus]

Can't emphasize enough how refreshing your rabbit holes are. I don't know any other youtuber who would put up a video about Voltaire in which the first 20 minutes are about historical context. Anyways, got to go, your Thatcher video is next on the playlist!

P.S. Everybody give this man a like and subscribe

[chaplin]

For a guy who studied philosophy in university and an avid EU4 player, this one really hit the spot. Thanks professor!

[oleran]

I've never known details of Voltaire, but wallow happily in the products of his efforts and his resonant peers. Thank You for this!

[andrewphilips]

Absolutely top notch material. Another home run doc. Best doc channel on the tube IMHO.

[yaa]

This is perfect, , it's like you are reading 📖 a book for us with pictures, so informative and relaxing at the same time, diving into the biography of heroes and legends, your classic precious explanation, so appreciative . 💞👏

[jomancao]

Thank you. This is great work❤. Two and half hours went by and I did not even noticed. Looking forward to the next ones.

[denisestrickland]

I have to give you 10 👍’s !!
Thank you for this history lesson on Voltaire. I’m going to try to find all his writings that still exist. Thank You! I’ve always loved history. This food for the brain, heart and soul.

[Shineon]

Thanks! What a fabulous doc ❤ (New sub)

[mikem]

Wow ! I don’t think any book I’ve read was as thorough and interesting as this…. Great job and I’m hooked on your channel!

[kerriebarron]

An epic documentary. I dont think I've stayed with and enjoyed one so much. Well done and thank you from Australia!!

[jodywho]

Thank You. For continuing to enlighten us✨

[droydi]

Thank you for putting your time and effort into this video, I had heard the name many times and now I know why and it was worth every minute learning about it.

[RH-D]

Thank you for taking the time to create this video. I absolutely enjoyed it from start to finish. I was almost in tears at the end. As a student of literature and philosophy I very much appreciate your channel. All the best to you!

[nicenice_hamburger]

these videos are so wonderful. please never stop making them

[gabrielschake]

Gotta say. Voltaire puts south park to shame. What a man. What a great documentary to. I've been looking for an in depth docu about him and I finally got it.

[SteveWeiserOnYouTube]

I haven't caught a keeper in ages. I had this one stuffed and mounted in my watchlist.