What Did Voltaire Believe in Government?

Updated: April 21, 2023
Voltaire believed in a government that was run by an intelligent and educated elite group of people. He also believed in religious toleration.
Detailed answer:

Voltaire believed in a government that was run by an intelligent and educated elite group of people. He also believed in religious toleration.

Philosopher did not believe that the common people should rule, because they were not educated enough to do so. Instead, he believed in an elite class of intellectuals who would make decisions for the masses. This was similar to how Louis XIV ruled France.

Moreover, Voltaire did not believe in religious toleration completely, but he did believe that everyone should be able to worship freely without persecution. He felt that if everyone had equal rights then there would be no need for war or fighting over religion because everyone could live peacefully together.

Voltaire’s philosophy on government was very similar to Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s philosophy from 1762 called The Social Contract. Voltaire agreed with this theory and said it was a good idea for governments to have leaders who were educated and knew what they were doing rather than just letting anyone rule who wanted to do so.

In addition, Voltaire’s most famous work is Candide (1759), which attacks religious intolerance and advocates reason as a means of resolving conflict and achieving happiness. Candide is set in medieval Europe, but Voltaire does not portray this period as idealized or romanticized; instead, he uses satire to criticize religious fanaticism and political corruption.

Cite this page

What Did Voltaire Believe in Government?. (2023, Apr 21). Retrieved from

https://graduateway.com/qa/what-did-voltaire-believe-in-government/