Voltaire's+perception+of+providence

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** Voltaire's Views on God and Providence ** Voltaire considered himself a deist, expressing the idea: "What is faith? Is it to believe that which is evident? No. It is perfectly evident to my mind that there exists a necessary, eternal, supreme, and intelligent being. This is no matter of faith, but of reason."

Quote: " The existence of evil seems to imply, according to the old Epicurean dilemma, that God cannot be both benevolent and omnipotent, and the search for the tortuous paths of Providence tends to become particularly urgent in the wake of great disasters. Voltaire’s //Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne//, and Rousseau’s //Lettre à Monsieur de Voltaire// are two important attempts to provide philosophical answers to the questions raised by the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755." The Lisbon earthquake was a very hot topic of discussion for philosophers and the general population for it contrasted with any claim of Providence (the idea that God not only created the world but also cares about its welfare, especially for humans). The general claim was that God had punished the city for its sins. However, the fact that most churches collapsed over their congregations made this an unsatisfactory explanation. In reaction to this, Voltaire rejected the idea of all that happens being for the best, claiming that genuine evil existed, going against the Pope's idea that only apparent evil existed, and if only we could see the whole picture, we would see it's for the best.

Voltaire never doubted the existence of God. However, his belief in God conflicted with the evil and suffering present in the world. Because of this, he rejected the "all is well" philosophy of some other thinkers of the time such as Leibniz for he considered it strange to proclaim "all is well" having witnessed disasters of the time such as the Lisbon earthquake.

Sources: http://www.unicamp.br/~jmarques/pesq/Paths_of_Providence.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire#Religion