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Voltaire

Voltaire

Voltaire Illustration by Obvious State
Italy had the Renaissance, Germany had the Reformation, and France had Voltaire. Ever the proponent of rationalism and tolerance, Voltaire had an extraordinary rhetorical gift, and this quotation from a letter to Prince Frederick in 1770 is no exception.  

Being human, most of us have a tendency to believe that we have all the answers, and that our particular view of reality is complete and correct. But a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially when it hinders  curiosity and openness to new ideas. 

In our illustration we went full on film noir, and a detective shines his flashlight on his little corner of the universe.

"Aha!” he exclaims. Meanwhile, just outside of the beam of light a bigger, unanswered question takes shape. 

So maybe keep exploring, Philip Marlowe. You never know what new, amazing discovery is hiding in the shadows. 

Speaking of shadows, do you see the question mark? 

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Voltaire illustration by Evan Robertson

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