Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom Book

After the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims in 1453 AD, Greek and Roman manuscripts became popular in Europe. Especially were they important when Gutenberg's experiments with printing made books available to the merchant class, large groups of successful and curious entrepreneurs who were very curious about Renaissance Italy. Gradually Greek and Roman thought about politics, individual rights, freedom and democracy began to be published and discussed in coffee houses and salons; and one of the major voices in this period of enlightenment, a new Age of Reason, was Voltaire. Famous for his poetry and plays (most of which today are no longer read or performed) he was widely praised in his time for his championship of science, religious tolerance, individual rights and freedoms, and for his criticism of the grievances of absolute monarchies and the materialism, dictatorship and immorality of religious institutions. Reason, he hoped, would eventually enlighten the monarchy (he did not advocate revolution, although he lived to befriend Benjamin Franklin and to witness the American Declaration of Independence). And reason, he hoped, would slowly replace Judaism, Christianity and Islam, making the world a safer, more prosperous and peaceful place. I enjoyed Roger Pearson's book: Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom. The book shows what a fine line Voltaire had to walk to keep out of prison for his writings. He did not know it (he died in 1778) but his thoughts greatly influenced Franklin and other founders of the American Revolution, including Jefferson; and Voltaire's political ideas, derived from the Enlightenment taking place all over Europe, deeply underscored the French Revolution in 1789. The violence and the terror of it all would have appalled him, but the movement toward life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everyone would have thrilled him. As I said, I liked this book. On the other hand, I do not believe most readers will want to plow through page after page and chapter after chapter to dig out the golden nuggets buried under the vast details about his poetry and his plays, which no longer appeal to us. His one masterpiece, however, still sings out to us powerfully. "Candide" clearly calls for reason to promote progress against the false optimism of ignorance and absurd religious beliefs. Wars over religion are a plague. Somehow we must bring them to an end. This is not the best of all possible worlds for Voltaire, but we can all work to make it better. Surely peace and prosperity and reason and science will someday flower for people everywhere.. Everyone should read Candide. Not everyone may enjoy books about Voltaire, however, if they distract us too much with his defunct writings.