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'''Voltaire''' (pen name of François-Marie Arouet) (1694-1778) was a leading [[French]] [[philosopher]] in the [[Enlightenment]], advocating freedom everywhere and emphasizing his form of reason. He was a [[Deism|deist]] who criticized contemporary [[Christianity]] and often [[religion]] in general.  Voltaire is sometimes called the "Father of the Enlightenment," and remains an inspiration for robust [[freedom of speech]] despite ironically enough denying free speech to Christians and even going out of his way to silence them.<ref>http://myemail.constantcontact.com/JAN--11---Plot-to-destroy-Christianity-revealed-by-Yale-President-Timothy-Dwight.html?soid=1108762609255&aid=CbibQMZY5JY</ref><ref>https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/Encyclopedists</ref><ref>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05418a.htm</ref><ref>https://archive.org/details/BarruelMemoirsIllustratingTheHistoryOfJacobinism</ref>

'''Voltaire''' (pen name of François-Marie Arouet) (1694-1778) was a leading [[French]] [[philosopher]] in the [[Enlightenment]], advocating freedom everywhere and emphasizing his form of reason. He was a [[Deism|deist]] who criticized contemporary [[Christianity]] and often [[religion]] in general.  Voltaire is sometimes called the "Father of the Enlightenment," and remains an inspiration for robust [[freedom of speech]] despite ironically enough denying free speech to Christians and even going out of his way to silence them (which if anything resembled [[cancel culture]]).<ref>http://myemail.constantcontact.com/JAN--11---Plot-to-destroy-Christianity-revealed-by-Yale-President-Timothy-Dwight.html?soid=1108762609255&aid=CbibQMZY5JY</ref><ref>https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/Encyclopedists</ref><ref>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05418a.htm</ref><ref>https://archive.org/details/BarruelMemoirsIllustratingTheHistoryOfJacobinism</ref>

In ''Candide'' (1759), his chief work, Voltaire criticized a popular philosophical theory of [[Leibniz]] which  described the world as being in its best possible state because it was in [[God]]'s hands. To illustrate this point, he follows the story of Candide as increasingly terrible things happen to him until he loses his optimistic view of the world and his [[Christianity|faith]].

In ''Candide'' (1759), his chief work, Voltaire criticized a popular philosophical theory of [[Leibniz]] which  described the world as being in its best possible state because it was in [[God]]'s hands. To illustrate this point, he follows the story of Candide as increasingly terrible things happen to him until he loses his optimistic view of the world and his [[Christianity|faith]].