Voltaire

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Voltaire And The Voices Of The Enlightenment

20090928

20101122 (R3)

You don't have to be a patriotic Frenchman to consider Voltaire the presiding genius of the European Enlightenment. A brilliant, caustic and prolific polemicist, he left behind some 15 million written words - twenty times the length of the Bible - in almost every literary form, from plays, poems and novels to pamphlets, letters and essays. His subjects included philosophy, science, travel, religion and civil liberties and, by the time he died, aged 84 in 1778, his breathtaking output and canny media manipulation had made him the most famous writer in the world. Even today, his thoughts on religion, tolerance and human rights can seem strikingly contemporary and provocative. And many people may be familiar with his words without realizing it: famous Voltaire sayings include 'in the best of all possible worlds', 'we must cultivate the garden' and 'if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him', though his much quoted rallying cry for tolerant multiculturalism: 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it' turns out, in fact, to have been invented on Voltaire's behalf by a female English biographer in 1906.

Professor Nicholas Cronk, director of the Voltaire Foundation in Oxford, introduces the great man, places him within the context of other Enlightenment thinkers, and celebrates his timeless satire on the human condition, the novel Candide, which was published 250 years ago.

Reader Simon Russell Beale

Producer Beaty Rubens

(Repeat).

Nicholas Cronk introduces Voltaire and celebrates Candide, a satire on the human condition

Voltaire And England

20090929

20101123 (R3)

Series exploring the work of the French writer and philosopher Voltaire.

Professor Nicholas Cronk, director of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford, explores how Voltaire's encounter with English culture both influenced the writer personally and had far-reaching consequences for Enlightenment thinking generally.

He explains why Voltaire came to England in the first place and considers why the book of essays he wrote - Letters Concerning the English Nation - has been described as 'the first bomb thrown at the ancient regime' - a praise of the country and a covert criticism pre-revolutionary France.

With his vivid and often highly contemporary observations on religion, business, politics, science, philosophy and literature, Voltaire's book on England is as striking today as it was to both French and English readers when it was first published in 1733.

Reader: Simon Russell Beale.

Nicholas Cronk discusses the effect of Voltaire's time spent in England.

Voltaire, Sarkozy And The Burqa Debate

20090930

20101124 (R3)

In a series on the great thinkers of the European Enlightenment originally broadcast in 2009, the French journalist Agnes Poirier imagines a dialogue between Voltaire and President Sarkozy on the issue of legislating about the wearing of the burqa in public.

Nicolas Sarkozy is alone at night in the gilded rooms of the Elysee Palace. Carla Bruni is out at a gig with Mick Jagger but the President has something rather more serious on his mind......

In July 2009, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy set up a Parliamentary committee to consider a possible ban in France of the burqa, the full Islamic dress. Agnes Poirier imagines the ruminations of the tired President: what would Voltaire, the father of 'laicite' - the uniquely French interpretation of secularism - say on the matter? Would he ban the burqa? Sarkozy drifts off to sleep and finds himself in the oak-panelled library at the Chateau de Ferney, home of Voltaire.

In a witty and thought-provoking tour de force of an Essay, French journalist Agnes Poirier brings Voltaire and his views firmly into the contemporary realm in an examination of one of the most vexed debates in France today.

French born Agn耀s Poirier moved to London in 1995 and started writing as an independent journalist for Le Monde (1996) and then for Le Figaro as UK arts correspondent (1997-2001). Between 2001 and 2006, she was a political correspondent and film critic for Lib退ration.

Today, she is a UK editor for French and Italian weeklies Le Nouvel Obs, La Vie, L'Espresso and a regular contributor to the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Al Jazeera on French politics and films. She is also a regular commentator for The Guardian, The Independent On Sunday, The New Statesman and The Observer.

Reader Philip Fox

Producer Beaty Rubens

(repeat).

Agnes Poirier asks how Voltaire would view the debate in France about banning the burka.

Voltaire And Religion

20091001

20101125 (R3)

The cataclysmic Lisbon earthquake of 1755 in which tens of thousands of people died is Professor Simon Blackburn's starting point for an examination of Voltaire's views on religion and belief. The event occurred on November 1st, All Saints Day, which meant that the churches in one of the godliest cities in Catholic Europe were all packed while the brothels were relatively empty. Where, Voltaire wondered, was divine providence in all this?

Simon Blackburn carefully explores not only Voltaire's coruscating views on the corrupt and powerful established church but also the complex question of his lingering faith. Above all, he examines the practical effect of Voltaire's ideas, celebrating the role of the Enlightenment in replacing the altars and thrones of an older Europe with the largely secular constitutional democracies that followed.

Simon Blackburn is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

Reader Philip Fox

Producer Beaty Rubens

(Repeat).

Professor Simon Blackburn examines Voltaire's views on religion and belief.

05 LAST

Voltaire's Library And Legacy

20091002

20101126 (R3)

When Voltaire died in 1778 at the grand old age of 84, he was the most famous writer in the world. Whatever his doubts about the Christian afterlife, his own immortality was assured. In this fifth and final Essay on Voltaire, Professor Nicholas Cronk explores the legacy of this greatest of Enlightenment figures. He starts with the extraordinary story of the removal of Voltaire's library, book by book - and there were some seven thousand of them - from his chateau in France all the way to St Petersburg, where Catherine the Great planned to build a sort of Voltaire theme park. He explores Voltaire's celebrity status, both before and after his death, and goes on to discuss how his ideas - about politics, about religion, about tolerance - continue to resonate today. He concludes with a poignant illustration of how, in the true spirit of the Enlightenment, writers continue to debate with Voltaire and, in so doing, perpetuate his legacy.

Professor Nicholas Cronk, director of the Voltaire Foundation in Oxford.

Reader Simon Russell Beale

Producer Beaty Rubens

(Repeat).

Professor Nicholas Cronk discusses Voltaire's legacy and his library.

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	Voltaire And The Voices Of The Enlightenment	20090928	20101122 (R3)	You don't have to be a patriotic Frenchman to consider Voltaire the presiding genius of the European Enlightenment. A brilliant, caustic and prolific polemicist, he left behind some 15 million written words - twenty times the length of the Bible - in almost every literary form, from plays, poems and novels to pamphlets, letters and essays. His subjects included philosophy, science, travel, religion and civil liberties and, by the time he died, aged 84 in 1778, his breathtaking output and canny media manipulation had made him the most famous writer in the world. Even today, his thoughts on religion, tolerance and human rights can seem strikingly contemporary and provocative. And many people may be familiar with his words without realizing it: famous Voltaire sayings include 'in the best of all possible worlds', 'we must cultivate the garden' and 'if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him', though his much quoted rallying cry for tolerant multiculturalism: 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it' turns out, in fact, to have been invented on Voltaire's behalf by a female English biographer in 1906. Professor Nicholas Cronk, director of the Voltaire Foundation in Oxford, introduces the great man, places him within the context of other Enlightenment thinkers, and celebrates his timeless satire on the human condition, the novel Candide, which was published 250 years ago. Reader Simon Russell Beale Producer Beaty Rubens (Repeat). Nicholas Cronk introduces Voltaire and celebrates Candide, a satire on the human condition
02	Voltaire And England	20090929	20101123 (R3)	Series exploring the work of the French writer and philosopher Voltaire. Professor Nicholas Cronk, director of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford, explores how Voltaire's encounter with English culture both influenced the writer personally and had far-reaching consequences for Enlightenment thinking generally. He explains why Voltaire came to England in the first place and considers why the book of essays he wrote - Letters Concerning the English Nation - has been described as 'the first bomb thrown at the ancient regime' - a praise of the country and a covert criticism pre-revolutionary France. With his vivid and often highly contemporary observations on religion, business, politics, science, philosophy and literature, Voltaire's book on England is as striking today as it was to both French and English readers when it was first published in 1733. Reader: Simon Russell Beale. Nicholas Cronk discusses the effect of Voltaire's time spent in England.
03	Voltaire, Sarkozy And The Burqa Debate	20090930	20101124 (R3)	In a series on the great thinkers of the European Enlightenment originally broadcast in 2009, the French journalist Agnes Poirier imagines a dialogue between Voltaire and President Sarkozy on the issue of legislating about the wearing of the burqa in public. Nicolas Sarkozy is alone at night in the gilded rooms of the Elysee Palace. Carla Bruni is out at a gig with Mick Jagger but the President has something rather more serious on his mind...... In July 2009, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy set up a Parliamentary committee to consider a possible ban in France of the burqa, the full Islamic dress. Agnes Poirier imagines the ruminations of the tired President: what would Voltaire, the father of 'laicite' - the uniquely French interpretation of secularism - say on the matter? Would he ban the burqa? Sarkozy drifts off to sleep and finds himself in the oak-panelled library at the Chateau de Ferney, home of Voltaire. In a witty and thought-provoking tour de force of an Essay, French journalist Agnes Poirier brings Voltaire and his views firmly into the contemporary realm in an examination of one of the most vexed debates in France today. French born Agn耀s Poirier moved to London in 1995 and started writing as an independent journalist for Le Monde (1996) and then for Le Figaro as UK arts correspondent (1997-2001). Between 2001 and 2006, she was a political correspondent and film critic for Lib退ration. Today, she is a UK editor for French and Italian weeklies Le Nouvel Obs, La Vie, L'Espresso and a regular contributor to the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Al Jazeera on French politics and films. She is also a regular commentator for The Guardian, The Independent On Sunday, The New Statesman and The Observer. Reader Philip Fox Producer Beaty Rubens (repeat). Agnes Poirier asks how Voltaire would view the debate in France about banning the burka.
04	Voltaire And Religion	20091001	20101125 (R3)	The cataclysmic Lisbon earthquake of 1755 in which tens of thousands of people died is Professor Simon Blackburn's starting point for an examination of Voltaire's views on religion and belief. The event occurred on November 1st, All Saints Day, which meant that the churches in one of the godliest cities in Catholic Europe were all packed while the brothels were relatively empty. Where, Voltaire wondered, was divine providence in all this? Simon Blackburn carefully explores not only Voltaire's coruscating views on the corrupt and powerful established church but also the complex question of his lingering faith. Above all, he examines the practical effect of Voltaire's ideas, celebrating the role of the Enlightenment in replacing the altars and thrones of an older Europe with the largely secular constitutional democracies that followed. Simon Blackburn is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. Reader Philip Fox Producer Beaty Rubens (Repeat). Professor Simon Blackburn examines Voltaire's views on religion and belief.
05 LAST	Voltaire's Library And Legacy	20091002	20101126 (R3)	When Voltaire died in 1778 at the grand old age of 84, he was the most famous writer in the world. Whatever his doubts about the Christian afterlife, his own immortality was assured. In this fifth and final Essay on Voltaire, Professor Nicholas Cronk explores the legacy of this greatest of Enlightenment figures. He starts with the extraordinary story of the removal of Voltaire's library, book by book - and there were some seven thousand of them - from his chateau in France all the way to St Petersburg, where Catherine the Great planned to build a sort of Voltaire theme park. He explores Voltaire's celebrity status, both before and after his death, and goes on to discuss how his ideas - about politics, about religion, about tolerance - continue to resonate today. He concludes with a poignant illustration of how, in the true spirit of the Enlightenment, writers continue to debate with Voltaire and, in so doing, perpetuate his legacy. Professor Nicholas Cronk, director of the Voltaire Foundation in Oxford. Reader Simon Russell Beale Producer Beaty Rubens (Repeat). Professor Nicholas Cronk discusses Voltaire's legacy and his library.