Notes de Voltaire et de Condorcet sur les pensées de Pascal

comte Nicolas Louis François de Neufchâteau

1750–1828

A poet, playwright, and statesman of revolutionary France, he moved between literature and public life with unusual ease. His career stretched from early literary success to high office, while his lasting interests in agriculture and education gave his work a practical edge.

Blaise Pascal

1623–1662

A brilliant French thinker of the 17th century, he moved easily between mathematics, physics, invention, and religious writing. His work ranges from the calculating machine known as the Pascaline to the sharp, searching reflections collected in the Pensées.

Voltaire

1694–1778

A brilliant satirist of the Enlightenment, he used wit, stories, and sharp argument to challenge intolerance and abuses of power. Best known today for Candide, he remains one of the clearest and liveliest voices in French literature.