Philosophy In Voltaire's Candide

Philosophy is the study of the world around us and our perspective of it. Its purpose is to uncover the truth about the universe and how it functions. Unlike the natural sciences where there are clearly agreed upon theories, in philosophy it is much more difficult for a theory to be “wrong” in the common sense. Instead philosophies simply hold a different outlook on the world than one another. During Voltaire’s lifetime, an ideological revolution was taking place. During this period new ideas and beliefs about the universe came to be. These ideas were then argued and pondered by the intellectuals of society. Voltaire was one of the largest contributors to this ideological revolution, a shift in paradigm which would later come to be known as
This is a view shared, originally at least, by the protagonist Candide. Pangloss, through tragedy, death, and loss which would cause any other man to question whether or not everything that is happening is for the best, stands firm in his beliefs. To him, everything which happens is for the best. In every other possible outcome of an event, things would simply of been worse off. There by it is better to appreciate the status quo rather than imagine that things could be or could have been better. Candide originally shares this view with Pangloss, having been tutored by him. However, upon witnessing the carnage, brutality, and depravity of the world, Candide begins to doubt himself and his beliefs. By the end of his journey, it is clear that Candide no longer places any faith in the idea of everything being for the best. Through these two characters, Voltaire explores this idea of blind optimism in reality. And he ultimately finds it to be a foolish belief. The author makes very clear throughout the novel that the status quo is not just abhorrent, but meaninglessly so. A main example of when he does this is the
Free will is the ability for an individual to be able to have actions with no undesired consequences. In this, the novel discusses the idea of determinism. This is the belief that our actions are determined by our environment and genetics, thus eliminating any idea of choice. We do not make decisions; it is a combination of our genetic material and environment in which we were raised which makes those decisions for us. In this way, there is no individual moral responsibility. How can you morally blame an individual for following his nature, it is impossible for him to behave differently after all. Most monotheistic religions actually, unwillingly, promote a system of determinism. Christianity argues that man has free will and that he occasionally uses it to sin. However, the Christian God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent if the words of its followers are to be believed. However, if God knows everything, then he knows the future of all human action. This means he knows every action that man will take before it is ever taken. This means that choice cannot exist, for an omniscient God could never be wrong. As a believer in determinism, Voltaire explored the concept in Candide through the actions and general theme of the book.
The Enlightenment was a time of radical change. A time where a whirlpool of different ideas converged and clashed. It was during this time