Blind Optimism In Voltaire's Candide

In Candide by Voltaire, Candide and Pangloss maintain their beliefs that everything that happens is for the best, even though awful things continuously happen to them throughout the story. Their optimism proves to be folly when they make up absurd excuses for why terrible things happen, and this is Voltaire’s way of mocking Enlightenment beliefs similar to Candide and Pangloss’s. Other characters, such as Martin, have succumbed to pessimism as their way of looking at the world, which is closer to how Voltaire thinks the world should be considered. I agree with Voltaire in the sense that blind optimism is both ignorant and dangerous, but I do think that less extreme optimism is essential to living a fulfilling life.

There are many instances

in the story that convey Voltaire’s point that optimism is irrational and ridiculous. One example is when Candide says, "Master Pangloss was right indeed when he told me everything is for the best in this world; for I am touched by your kindness far more than by the harshness of that black-coated gentleman and his wife" (Voltaire 105). Candide is mostly paying attention to the character’s good action and is disregarding the other character’s bad action, when he really should pay attention to both. Refusing to acknowledge anything negative, like Candide is doing, can potentially lead to more negative consequences because there is no intervention to create a positive outcome. By making this statement, he is also blatantly ignoring reality by overlooking all of the other misfortunes that have happened to him and others. This character’s generosity, to him, only further proves Pangloss’s philosophy that everything is for the greater good. Another example that proves the folly of blind optimism is Pangloss’s statement after thirty thousand people have just died: "’For,’" said he, "’all this is for the best, since if there is a volcano at Lisbon, it cannot be somewhere else, since it is unthinkable that things should not be where they are, since everything is well’" (108). Even though something very unfortunate has just happened, he attempts to justify it by saying it is what is meant to happen for the greater good. Not only is this insensitive, but it is ignorant of the reality that inexplicable bad things simply do happen. This kind of extreme optimism illustrated by Candide and Pangloss is certainly both a dangerous and ignorant way of looking at the world.
Although I agree with Voltaire’s point in this sense, complete pessimism is not a beneficial mindset either and it can be just as ignorant as blind optimism.

In the story, Martin is a Manichaeist and very pessimistic. For example, Candide says, “But a wise man, who since has since had the misfortune to be hanged, taught me that everything was marvelously well arranged. Troubles are just the shadows in a beautiful picture.” To this, Martin replies, “Your hanged philosopher was joking . . . the shadows are horrible ugly blots.” (141) Although Candide has made a somewhat contradictory statement by saying that the person who told him everything is well is now dead, Martin’s response is still harsh. He seems more right than Candide or Pangloss considering all of the awful things that happen in the story, but his viewpoint is still flawed. It is not true that everything that happens is pointless, evil, or leading to the end of the world as Martin or Voltaire might believe. Considering this, it is ignorant to disregard anything positive that happens as having a hidden evil agenda. Just as inexplicable bad things happen, inexplicable good things happen as

well.
My definition of optimism lies in a happy medium between the extreme optimism and extreme pessimism seen in Candide.

It also has less to do with believing that everything is for the best and more to do with simply appreciating the good in the world. When one chooses to focus only on negativity, it can actually be more dangerous than blind optimism in the long run because it causes one to become unnecessarily depressed and numb to reality. That is no way to live one’s life; some degree of optimism is necessary to be happy. Everything that happens may not all be part of a plan or for the greater good, but there are most definitely good things that happen in life. To me, being optimistic means appreciating those things and hoping that good things will happen to you. For the last few years or so, I have tried to adapt my own way of thinking to this kind of optimism and it has benefited me greatly. It is not necessary to force oneself to believe that everything that happens is good or for the greater good. That is just not reality, but what is reality is that both bad and good things happen. When one focuses on the actions of love and goodness and how important they are to all happiness and success that is found in the world, one also realizes that those positive happenings are truly what matter in the long

run.
In conclusion, optimism is certainly not as entirely flawed as Voltaire suggests through his characters, Candide and Pangloss. He clearly illustrates that optimism that is blind to reality only leads to disappointment and naiveté, and I agree with his point in that sense. However, the pessimism that Voltaire seems to favor is just as naive because it is blind to the good. There are much too many positive aspects of life to negate them all together. Moreover, those positive things are what make life enjoyable and keep the world turning. When one focuses on this idea, they will realize that actions of love and goodness are what truly matter, regardless of negativity.