Voltaire’s Candide In A Philosophical Frame Of Reference

Voltaire’s novella Candide is a satirical piece detailing the eventful travels of Candide in order to criticize a lot of aspects of Enlightenment philosophical thought, such as theodicy and Leibniz’s philosophical optimism, rationalism, and the complacency indicative of stoic philosophical contemplation. Candide is utilised to explore a lot of of the novel philosophical ideals that have been spreading by means of Europe during the Enlightenment. As a complete, the piece’s plot is filled with action, and this abundance of action is a medium by which Voltaire examines some of these philosophies. In addition, Voltaire couples the events of the plot with characters emblematic of diverse schools of Enlightenment thought. For instance, Pangloss’s character illustrates the ideals of each philosophical optimism and theodicy. Characters such as these are employed to analyze the validity of various schools of believed. By means of these various mediums Voltaire communicates a fundamental disagreement with numerous Enlightenment ideals. Particularly, Voltaire makes use of Pangloss to criticize the notion that this world is the very best of all attainable worlds, as Leibniz’s philosophical optimism holds (Look). Additionally, Pangloss is used to criticize the thought of result in and effect. Pangloss’s character believes that for each and every impact there is a higher cause that man is incapable of grasping. Voltaire, on the other hand, does not dismiss the existence of evil in the globe so simply, believing that bad factors happen and that these issues are not often part of a higher strategy (Roth). Lastly, Voltaire concludes the piece with a critique of inaction triggered by too much philosophical pondering. In sum, the piece is a critique not only of specific Enlightenment philosophies, but of philosophical thought in basic.

One particular of the far more prevalent philosophies throughout Voltaire’s time was that of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who claimed that this world is “the ideal of all feasible worlds” (Appear). Furthermore, Leibniz justifies the existence of evil in the world as element of a bigger plan that man can not understand. These two ideals form the basis of theodicy and is also identified as philosophical optimism (Look). In Candide, the philosopher Pangloss represents this philosophy most accurately, many instances utilizing Leibniz’s “best of all feasible worlds” phrase. However, Voltaire uses Pangloss to show the absurdity of this philosophy. At 1 point, Pangloss justifies the earthquake in Lisbon by saying “all this is for the ideal, given that if there is a volcano at Lisbon, it can not be someplace else, given that it is unthinkable that items should not be exactly where they are” (Voltaire, 432). This statement is an absurd justification of a all-natural disaster and shows that undesirable events can not be so very easily dismissed. Definitely it is hard to picture what greater good was served by such a all-natural disaster. Even so, Voltaire extends his critique of theodicy to human affairs, as is illustrated when Candide 1st learns that Pangloss is nonetheless alive. At this time, Pangloss is a beggar afflicted with a sexually transmitted illness, even so this does not deter his optimist philosophy. When he is reunited with Candide Pangloss says of his illness “it’s an indispensable part of the best of all worlds… if Columbus had not caught, on an American island, this sickness… we should have neither chocolate nor cochineal” (Voltaire, 430). Surely the discovery of chocolate and cochineal is a reward worth contracting a terrible disease, and by way of the use of such extreme comparisons Voltaire attacks Leibniz’s optimism.

One more hallmark of Pangloss’s philosophy that is constant with Enlightenment thought is the idea of trigger and impact. Pangloss notes numerous occasions in the course of the piece that there is a trigger and impact connection for everything in the universe, an concept that Voltaire finds wholly untrue. This is greatest exemplified in the opening chapter of the novella when Pangloss says “Observe: noses had been made to help spectacles, hence we have spectacles. Legs… were created to be breeched, and so we have breeches” (Voltaire, 425). This is an inaccurate and unacceptable explanation for the existence of why issues are. Voltaire utilizes comparisons such as these to critique the rationalism that was the hallmark of Enlightenment philosophy. Philosophers for the duration of this time looked to explanation to clarify the world around them, and Voltaire asserts that they have gone as well far in their pursuit of cause. Explanations such as the 1 cited above indicate an overreliance on purpose, an overreliance that has led to irrational believed becoming accepted as rational. There is surely no logical element to Pangloss’s explanation as legs were not created to justify the existence of breeches and noses were not created to justify the existence of spectacles. To Voltaire, not almost everything needed a rational explanation. This is most most likely rooted in his deist beliefs, which held that God produced the planet but did not interfere with its workings (Roth). Where most Enlightenment thinkers sought a explanation to everything, Voltaire saw events that did not demand an explanation, and in reality may possibly not have one at all.

Voltaire concludes the piece by critiquing philosophical believed in basic. As soon as the torridly paced plot comes to an end Candide is no longer concerned with debating either Pangloss or Martin’s philosophies. The novella concludes with Pangloss beginning to explain why this is the very best of all attainable worlds, only to be interrupted by Candide, who says “That is extremely well place, but we have to cultivate our garden” (Voltaire, 482). This represents a significant alter in mindset for Candide, and is the method by which Voltaire tends to make his final claim. Throughout the piece Candide is deeply concerned with the competing philosophies of Pangloss and Martin, even though he struggles to fully determine with either a single of them. By the finish of the piece, however Candide no longer wishes to concern himself with these philosophies. By means of this, Voltaire criticizes the inaction that enabling oneself to be consumed with philosophical thinking can lead to. Concerning themselves with philosophical believed did not avert all of the horrid factors from taking place to any of the characters, and this makes it somewhat insignificant. What is critical, Voltaire asserts, is the high quality of one’s actions although he is alive, not the top quality of one’s philosophy. Voltaire’s final point is a cautionary one, warning his audience not to turn out to be overwhelmed with rationalism and philosophy to the point of inaction.

In conclusion, Candide satirizes conventional Enlightenment philosophies by both refuting optimism and cautioning readers against philosophical inaction. Pangloss is utilized to disarm and refute Leibniz’s philosophic optimism and theodicy as nicely as to illustrate that there is not a trigger for almost everything. Voltaire then concludes the piece by warning his audience against inaction due to an overreliance on philosophical thought. Right after experiencing events that most humans cannot fathom experiencing, Candide lastly learns simply to live his life. Candide is presented to the reader as a naïve and passive character, enabling factors to occur to him rather than controlling his own life. It is also readily apparent both Candide’s reliance on Pangloss’s philosophy and his doubt as to its validity. However, by the finish of the story Candide has matured and realized the ineffectuality of living primarily based off of philosophical ideals. The piece speaks to the thought that live is lived with actions, not philosophies. This renders philosophies unimportant, a point that was radical in the Enlightenment era based on rational believed and reason. Voltaire saw the flaws in the ideals of the Enlightenment and urged his audience not to turn out to be over reliant on these new concepts.