The Optimistic Philosophy in "Candide" by Voltaire

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Why do bad things happen to good people? A question often asked by...well, by just about everyone. It is a frequently asked question that philosophers and religious figures have tried to answer for centuries yet no one can pinpoint the answer. Candide is no doubt Voltaire's response to the answer given by some of the philosophers of his time. The philosophy discussed throughout the novel gives meaning to the story itself and contributes to and carries on throughout the entire story.

In the Baron's castle somewhere in Germany the main characters reside for a short time. Pangloss, the philosopher and teacher of the Baron's children, has a radical philosophy on life and passes it to his students. This philosophy doesn't help them except to maybe encourage a little hope within them. Candide is the main character followed and the main carrier of this philosophy through his adventures. He's innocent and knows nothing of the world having lived in the Baron's castle his entire life. When he is kicked out for kissing the hand of the Baron's daughter, Cunegund, Candide begins a seemingly never-ending journey of hardship to find and marry her. When introducing the characters we are told that,

"Master Pangloss taught the metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology. He could prove to admiration that there is no effect without a cause; and, that in this best of all possible worlds, the baron's castle was the most magnificent of all castles, and my lady the best of all possible baronesses. It is demonstrable, said he, that all things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end. Observe, for instance, the nose is formed for spectacles, therefore we ...

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...ve to laugh at this completely irrational explanation for letting the man drown and at the same time we are appalled that they would allow something like that to stop them from rescuing him. It occurs throughout the novel, making us laugh but also causing us to gasp and wonder what these people could possibly be thinking.

Voltaire based his characters on philosophy of the Enlightenment era, taking jabs at the optimistic philosophy most. He wrote to point out the flaws in this philosophy but one must also consider that these characters are quite the extreme and unrealistic since it seems unlikely that people would fully indulge themselves in a philosophy such as this. If they did they'd be dismissed as very out of touch with reality.

Voltaire, Francois. "Candide." Western Literature in a World Context. Ed. Nancy Lyman. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. 24-79.

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