A liberdade religiosa: considerações acerca da tolerância em John Locke e Voltaire

Abstract

For a long time, it was believed that peace depended socially on the existence of an exclusive and comprehensive religious doctrine (RAWLS, 2011, p. XXVII). From the 17th century onwards, however, this idea was abandoned and authors such as John Locke and Voltaire began to criticize the confusion between politics and religion, defending a much more tolerant posture in relation to the various religious attitudes and beliefs, even though of groups considered minority interests in society. The present dissertation has as main objective the analysis of the ideas defended in the works Letter on tolerance and Treaty on tolerance, written, respectively, by Locke and Voltaire, discussing, moreover, about the separation between the State and the Church and the question of morality, relevant issues for an accurate understanding of the problem today. The methodology used consists of bibliographic and documentary research, through books, monographs and dissertations, seeking to investigate the thought of these authors and the historical context of the time in which they lived, identifying the advances and setbacks in the affirmation of tolerance and religious freedom.