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STORY

Voltaire

By PrestwoodIT

Sat 19 Mar 2022
Published 4 years ago.
Updated 3 months ago.
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The transformation of François-Marie Arouet into Voltaire: From a budding scholar in Paris, to a prisoner of ideas in the Bastille, to a celebrated playwright whose words ignited the Enlightenment.

Voltaire

born 1694
1694-1778
13 Generations Ago

30 Phil, Chapter 26: Voltaire and Modern Journalism
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment philosopher born François-Marie Arouet. He was an advocate of civil liberties and satirized intolerance, and religious dogma in a time one was punished with censorship, jail, banishment, or worse.

Some of my favorite Voltaire quotes translated from French:

  • Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
  • Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes.
  • In the case of news, we should always wait for the sacrament of confirmation.
  • Champion of Free Thought

— map / TST —

Michael Alan Prestwood
Author & Natural Philosopher
Prestwood writes on science-first philosophy, with particular attention to the convergence of disciplines. Drawing on his TST Framework, his work emphasizes rational inquiry grounded in empirical observation while engaging questions at the edges of established knowledge. With TouchstoneTruth positioned as a living touchstone, this work aims to contribute reliable, evolving analysis in an emerging AI era where the credibility of information is increasingly contested.
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This Week @ TST
April 15, 2026
Column:

Confidence: When Truth Should Inspire Belief

Confidence

»Column Archive
WWB Research….
1. Story of the Week
John Snow and the Broad Street Pump
2. Quote of the Week
“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.”
3. Science FAQ »
Were dinosaurs Jurassic movie smart?
4. Philosophy FAQ »
How does the idea of Identity in Christ fit within TST?
5. Critical Thinking FAQ »
What is the difference between Public Truth and Public Belief?
6. History FAQ!
Did Einstein’s driver really give one of his early talks?
Bonus Deep-Dive Article
TST Epistemic Calibration: Credence and Degrees of Belief
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