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Candide's Satire Of Enlightenment Thinkers - School Essays

Candide's Satire Of Enlightenment Thinkers

The political and social environments of the Enlightenment were revolutionary, both in thought and in action. Philosophes embodied the term “Age of Reason” and critically questioned traditional theories, customs, and morals. Among these, was the theory of optimism, which was often linked to a German philosopher named Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (Boden 296). Central to this philosophy was the belief that “everything happens for the best, in this the best of all possible worlds” (Wilson 765). However, as a Deist, Voltaire’s God was one who initially created the world, then left it to its own devices (Alexander 41). This principle, along with Voltaire’s own experiences with death and ...

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thievery and murder.
The chief vehicle for Voltaire’s satire on optimism is Pangloss, a caricature of Leibnizian optimism and Candide’s mentor. Pangloss instills in Candide the principle that this world must be “the best possible one” (48), since God, who is perfect, created it and he cradles Candide in a womb of simplicity and naïveté. Human beings perceive evil in the world only because they do not understand the greater purpose that these so-called evil phenomena serve. Pangloss is an unconditional follower of Leibniz’s philosophy, even when misfortunes have befallen him. When Candide encounters Pangloss after a long period of time, Pangloss explains how he was almost hanged, then dissected, then beaten. Candide asks the philosopher if he still believes that everything is for the best, and Pangloss replies that he still held his original views. This exaggeration of optimism is used to show the irrationality in his logic and depicts how inexplicable his beliefs are which do not ...

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Added: 3/30/2011 01:20:55 AM
Submitted By: jtipto10
Category: European History
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1193
Pages: 5

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