Fascinated with the concept of good and evil, Voltaire formed his main character from the eponymous Candide, the most widely read text of the European Enlightenment. Learn more about Voltaire's life, beliefs, writing, and influence with a biographical video, including an interesting detail about his lack of participation in creating his most well-known quote.

Concepts

voltaire, philosophers, logical reasoning, french history, protestantism, sir isaac newton, enlightenment philosophers, the enlightenment

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Show in an AP history class when discussing French Enlightenment thinkers
• Have learners watch the video after a reading of Candide

Classroom Considerations

• Animation is engaging, but may be distracting for those with short attention spans, as there are a lot of images in each scene
• Best suited for upper high school classes
• Video is 12 minutes long and dense with material

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Provides important information and perspective about the life of Voltaire
• Includes prominent quotes from Voltaire's writing that summarize his worldview, including écrasez L'infâme, or "crush the despicable"
• Addresses the humor of Voltaire's writing

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.11-12.2 SL.11-12.2 RH.11-12.2