François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, Freemason, deist and philosopher known for his wit, philosophical sport, and defense of civil liberties, including freedom of religion. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform despite strict censorship laws and harsh penalties for those who broke them. A satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize Catholic Church dogma and the French institutions of his day.

Voltaire was one of several Enlightenment figures whose works and ideas influenced important thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions.