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OLL’s November Birthday: Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778)

By: Peter Carl Mentzel Nov 29, 2024

November’s OLL Birthday Essay is in honor of François Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire. A playwright, poet, historian, philosopher, and satirist, Voltaire literally defined the Age of Enlightenment, sometimes called simply the Age of Voltaire. Throughout his life, he was an…

Utilitarianism: Pleasure or Preference?

By: Bill Glod Nov 07, 2024

A Critique of Preferentism

By: Bill Glod Nov 05, 2024

Features & Essays

Liberty Matters

The OLL brings people together to debate and discuss important texts and big ideas about liberty.

Contrasting Views of Liberty in Hume and Rousseau (November 2024)

By: OLL Editor Nov 12, 2024

David Hume’s skepticism and rigorous empiricism confront Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s idealism and passionate romanticism in this series about their perspectives on liberty. Hume and Rousseau were two of the most notorious and influential thinkers of their time. They were also very briefly friends.