Voltaire

[ParthianWarrior]

I belive Voltaire was perhaps one of the Greatest Thinkers and Philosphers of the 18th Century, And perhaps beyond. He had radical ideas for the time, But most of them are agreeable, He was exiled numerous of times but he continued to publish and write his works in a act of defiance, Knowing on his behalf it was right. That's one of the top reasons on why I like him. I also like him because his thoughts were very deep and had alot of thinking to them to reveal their backround. For example, His famous quote "God is a comean playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." Can mean many things, To me it means that Voltaire was questioning the existence of God, Or if he does exist, What does his true meaning mean?

Another quote of his I also enjoy is "History is a lie commonly agreed upon." History is indeed fables told by the victors and does not reveal the true side of what happened, For example, Caesar did not contribute balanced views on the Gauls, Although he did face Civil War, He could atleast had given hints to what the Gauls were really cabable of. Even today History is a Lie as their are many more secrets to be revealed and all we can do is continue to search for them.

To me, He is a example that Im following, He is probably one of my favorite Philosophers and I'll continue to study his Ideas and thoughts, As there are many more to explore.

[Siblesz]

My favorite has always been:

"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh."

I love this one as well:

"I have consumed about forty years of my pilgrimage in two or three corners of the world, seeking the philosopher's stone called truth. I have consulted all the adepts of antiquity, Epicurus and Augustine, Plato and Malebranche, and I still remain in ignorance. In all the crucibles of philosophers, there are perhaps two or three ounces of gold, but all the rest is caput moyuum, insipid mire, from which nothing can he extracted."
-Voltaire

Voltaire to me is kind of a peronsal idol. I have never found myself disagreeing on any of his statements, which might seem rather naive. I have read and analyzed many of his masterpieces, such as Candide and his philosophical dictionary, and I am always left surprised by what he pulls off from the hat.

[Lightbringer]

Oddly, my 4 idols are Rousseau, Voltaire, Johaan Sebastian Bach and Beethoven. Rousseau and Voltaire were SO opposed in political ideas and their own lifestyles, but I manage to find them both to be great and learnable from. Taking the best from both worlds I suppose.