Voltaire And The Enlightenment

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Voltaire was a leader in the Enlightenment Era. He thought the established religion, Christianity, to be a total hypocrisy after witnessing the many wars and deaths in the name of religious tradition. A rational religion based on inate morality from the natural laws of God and reason was Voltaire's premise. Einstein furthered the cause from a reason to a science and presented facts and theories as his defense. This same reliance on the scientific community opened the door for the invention of the atomic bomb which led him to a higher moral dilemma. Einstein's scientific research exemplified the notion of the Enlightenment Era. He believed "that pure science is essentially unmanageable" (246) and that scientists had a "moral responsibility…show more content…
He turns away from the religious fervor and zealous behavior which culminated in wars and opts for a religion of natural laws from God. "I admired still more the intelligence that presides over this vast machinery. I said to myself: A man must be blind not to be impressed by this spectacle; he must be stupid not to recognize its author; he must be mad not to adore him." (31) Faith in humankind stems from faith in God. When asked about true religion, he is told, "Love God and your neighbor as yourself." (35) This faith in humankind was still evident in Einstein. His faith was shaken though. When he spoke of the experts of the Atomic bomb, he said, We have found that the men who know most are the most gloomy." (264) This seems to say that he had little faith that mankind could come to a viable solution concerning any further bombing. He had little doubt that the H bomb would be used. "This hope is illusory. Whatver agreements not to use the H-bombs had been reached in time of peace, they would no longer be considered binding in time of war, and both sides would set to work to manufactre H-bombs as soon as war broke out, for, if one side manufactured the bombs and the other did not, the side that manufactured them would inevitably be victoius." (264) Voltaire's mood stemmed from his historical time. With all the wars in the name of religion, he sought a new religion based on reason. Einstein's mood
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