Voltaire

Francois-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), better known by his pen-name Voltaire, is hailed as a genius of the Enlightenment. This philosophical and political movement concerned itself with promoting a free-thinking, rational and scientific way of life. Alongside social commentators such as Locke and Descartes, Voltaire was a champion of logical reasoning, and critical of the largely superstitious and religious attitudes of his time.