Who Was Voltaire A Hero

“It seems to me that most men have received from nature enough common sense to make laws, but that everyone is not just enough to make good laws” (Philosophical Dictionary 186, European Graduate School). Voltaire spent his life sharing sentiments such as these and through these created great change. Many consider Voltaire a brave hero, not for his prominence as a warrior or tactfulness as a businessman, but for his bold, modern philosophy, determination to spread his ideas, and the impact of his work had during and long after his life.

Voltaire achieves heroic status solely with his renown for modern philosophy and ideas; not even mentioning the other heroic traits about him. “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the

In several of his poems, such as The Origin of Trades, The Padlock, and From Friendship to Love, Voltaire expresses Enlightenment era writing style. He began to write in such a way as had never been seen before:

Voltaire's writings in history challenged the common conception at the time that historiography dealt with big political, military, and diplomatic events. He instead emphasized in the cultural history, the arts, the sciences, the customs. He is known to be the first thinker to try to write a history of the world based on cultural, political and economic facts rejecting any kind of theological framework. (European Graduate School)

Voltaire began to write works that would challenge every aspect of the literature. He “spoke to the world in French” and it is partly due to this aspect of his writing that Voltaire is considered heroic for his modern system of writing and his contribution to Enlightenment era literature (McNally 258).

François-Marie d'Arouet, or Voltaire, may also be considered heroic for a much more commonly held characteristic, his determination to see what he thought right come to fruition. While this may be a more commonly held characteristic, he may still be considered heroic for it because very few people have actually changed the fabric of humanity as much as he

He can be seen in paintings, and in these portraits he might seem similar to any normal aristocrat of his time, but no mere painting may do him justice. “Voltaire lived long enough to see some of his long-term legacies start to concretize” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). During his life, Voltaire would have seen the Enlightenment period. His work helped to bring about the change involved in this period. For this reason, among others, Voltaire is praised for his work. His contribution to enlightenment, invaluable during his time, remains relevant through modern