Similarities Between Voltaire And Candide

During the 18th century, Enlightenment thinkers were concerned with a number of social issues. For example, Swiss born Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote of the struggle of man to create a free yet functional society. He was troubled with the idea of citizens being completely free and doing whatever they please. He believed that the people should do what they can for the common good. Also, the English philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft was deeply devoted to women’s rights. In Wollstonecraft’s society, women were viewed as ornaments of beauty and marriage. She was dedicated to advocating better opportunities for females. Additionally, in his writings, French philosophe Voltaire was attentive to the corruption that ran through the veins of society.
In his novel Candide, he thoroughly shares his thoughts on religion. In the text, the Pope himself has a daughter, breaking the papal oath. Voltaire also used an interaction between Candide and an old man to stress the hostile practices of the church. When Candide was questioning a man about his people’s religion, he asked the man about meeting a priest. The man replied that there were no priests, and everyone worshipped God equally. To this Candide exclaimed, "What! You have no monks who teach, argue, rule, plot and burn people who don't agree with them?” The shock expressed by Candide shows how Voltaire felt that the clergy were too commonly people of unsavory behavior and standards. Voltaire’s works were filled with vitriolic attack on the religion institutions of his
For example, humanity still struggles with religions toleration. Voltaire once stated that “the right of intolerance is absurd and barbaric.” In modern times, many are still unaccepting of others’ beliefs, such as anti-Christian groups in Nigeria and Indonesia. There has also been a spike in anti-Muslin sentiments in the United States. Religious discrimination is still a growing issue in contemporary society. An additional parallel between the Enlightenment and current times would be women’s issues. Mary Wollstonecraft’s cry for female education has still not been universally granted. In many Middle Eastern and North African regions young girls and women are being denied schooling, whether it be by vigorous cultural forces fighting against them or deep rooted familial tradition. Even if a family desires to send their daughters to school, they hold back to due to poor education systems and a need for someone to work at