Optimism Philosophy in Candide

Optimism Philosophy in Candide

Candide, one of Voltaire’s most recognized works, can be regarded as a satire, a picaresque novel, and an adventure narration. Voltaire discredits other Enlightenment thinkers’ discernments in the novel, challenging their concepts through his character depiction. He comments on varying philosophies’ principles by illustrating the major character, Candide, travels and the consequent modifications in his ways of thinking. Various themes make Candide, including religious hypocrisy, money corrupting power, optimism folly, and philosophical speculation uselessness. Optimism is a central theme in the novel and is the foundation of Candide. This essay discusses the optimism philosophy as portrayed in Candide through various characters.

Notably, the novel portrays Pangloss’s optimism principle, which is, that people live in the finest of all conceivable worlds. This is so even with the long and ridiculous adversity series that Candide and additional characters bear. The author’s encounters caused him to let go of the concept that this is the finest of all conceivable words. After assessing the destruction and death, natural and man-made, Voltaire settles that all things were not for the best (Scherr 89). Bad occurrences take place, and they occur devoid of being part of a greater good. At the start, Candide is an obedient Pangloss student. However, his hurting encounters stimulate him to reconsider his opinions. Consistently, Candide’s disenchantment is steady. The more he continues to see more of the world and life; he loses the conviction of the principle of evil and suffering prevailing as part of a bigger divine accord. In the end, Candide realizes that the reward for good is not always good. He is aware that the novel world constitutes a conflict and religious mix-up, just as in the old world. Nevertheless, Candide proposes that the struggle of human life, a never-ending disillusionment and optimism cycle, could be more desirable than a stagnant faith.

Pangloss’s main determination in the novel is embodying the optimism concept, and following his adamant devotion to the viewpoint, the readers may be influenced. The author shows Panglossian philosophy’s absurdity, explaining how Pangloss rejects to contemplate the misguidedness of his ideals even after witnessing Whirlings of fire and ashes, as well as thirty thousand residents getting crushed under the ruins following the Libson Great Earthquake. Instead, Pangloss continues to assert that everything is for the best and all is right (Voltaire 20). Additionally, even after contracting syphilis and scabs covering him, his eyes ailing, his nose ending eaten, his teeth turning black, and his mouth distorted (Voltaire 14), Pangloss still focuses on his optimism. He says that this condition was an inevitable thing and a vital constituent in the finest of worlds

Notably, Pangloss was a world’s passive observer, but Cacambo was, on the other hand, a person to made his destiny and a lively agent of his life. Whereas Pangloss asserts that it was improbable for things to be any other way, thus taking the world as it is, Cacambo takes charge of Candide’s and his own life. Once they encountered danger, rather than convincing Candide that everything would be for the best and permitting destiny to be in charge, Cacambo instructed them to run without looking back. Moreover, as Pangloss argues that disastrous occurrences are requisite since private disasters bring the general good, Cacambo drives for a personal fortune for Candide and himself. He tells Candide that he will make an extraordinary fortune. Typically, Cacambo is a practical man and does not have misconceptions regarding the world. For this reason, he is not caught up in issues of cause and effect as well as satisfactory reason, and he portrays to Candide that the world is different than he primarily thought.

Conclusively, candide’s message is that all is not for the best. The story is about a young guy who encounters numerous misfortunes, and, through the text, Voltaire desires to ascertain that this is not the best of all imaginable worlds. Consequently, the optimism philosophy is the foundation of Candide, and the characters have been used to show the philosophy’s realism and unrealism. The novel portrays Pangloss’s optimism principle, which is that people live in the finest of all probable worlds. As Pangloss is deemed to be the world’s passive observer, Cacambo is the contrary; a person to makes his destiny and a lively agent of his life. Whereas Pangloss asserts that it was improbable for things to be any other way, thus taking the world as it is, Cacambo basically takes charge of Candide’s life and his own life. The author’s encounters caused him to question the optimism philosophy, and characters such as Pangloss, Candide, and Cacambo show the unrealism of it.

Works Cited

Scherr, Arthur. “Candide’s Pangloss: Voltaire’s tragicomic hero.” Romance Notes 47.1 (2006): 87-96.

Voltaire, Francois. Candide, or optimism. Penguin UK, 2013.