VOLTAIRE'S CANDIDE: OPTIMIST OR PESSIMISM

PAM HUNT
HU 2
ESSAY II
20 JULY 2003





Candide is an adventure tale by Voltaire that satirizes the optimism supported by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. It is the story of a young man’s adventures throughout the world, where he witnesses much evil and disaster. Throughout his travels, he clings to the teachings of his tutor, Pangloss, believing that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds." Candide is Voltaire’s answer to what he saw as an absurd belief proposed by the Optimists - an easy way to rationalize evil and suffering. Though he was by no means a pessimist, Voltaire refused to believe that what happens is always for the best.
The primary feature of Enlightenment philosophy is the belief that people can actively work to create a better world. A spirit of social reform characterized the political ideology of Enlightenment philosophers. Heavily characterized by the primary concerns of the Enlightenment, Voltaire also criticizes ...