Voltaire's short story Candide is a satirical piece detailing Candide's turbulent travels to criticize many aspects of Enlightenment philosophical thought, including theodicy and optimism Leibniz's philosophical, rationalism and complacency indicative of stoic philosophical contemplation. Candide is used to explore many of the new philosophical ideals that were spreading across Europe during the Age of Enlightenment. Overall, the plot of the play is action-packed, and this abundance of action is a means by which Voltaire examines some of these philosophies. Additionally, Voltaire associates the events of the plot with iconic figures from different Enlightenment schools of thought. For example, the character of Pangloss exemplifies the ideals of both philosophical optimism and theodicy. Such characters are used to analyze the validity of different schools of thought. Through these different mediums, Voltaire communicates a fundamental disagreement with many Enlightenment ideals. Specifically, Voltaire uses Pangloss to criticize the idea that this world is the best of all possible worlds, as supported by Leibniz's philosophical optimism (Look). Additionally, Pangloss is used to criticize the idea of ​​cause and effect. The character of Pangloss believes that for every effect there is a greater cause that man is incapable of grasping. Voltaire, on the other hand, does not so easily dismiss the existence of evil in the world, believing that bad things happen and that these things are not always part of a larger plan (Roth). Finally, Voltaire concludes the article with a critique of inaction caused by too much philosophical reflection. In summary, the article is a critique not only of specific Enlightenment philosophies, but also of philosophical thought in general. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay One of the most widespread philosophies of Voltaire's time was that of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who claimed that this world was " the best of all possible worlds.” " (Watch). Furthermore, Leibniz justifies the existence of evil in the world as part of a larger plan that man cannot understand. These two ideals form the basis of theodicy and are also known as the name of philosophical optimism (Look). In Candide, the philosopher Pangloss represents this philosophy in the most precise way, repeatedly using Leibniz's expression "the best of all possible worlds". However, Voltaire uses Pangloss to show. the absurdity of this philosophy At one point, Pangloss justifies the Lisbon earthquake by saying "all this is for the best, because if there is a volcano in Lisbon, it cannot be elsewhere, because there is. It is unthinkable that things are not where they are” (Voltaire, 432). This statement constitutes an absurd justification for a natural disaster and shows that harmful events cannot be so easily dismissed. to imagine what greater good could have been served by such a natural disaster. However, Voltaire extends his critique of theodicy to human affairs, as is illustrated when Candide first learns that Pangloss is still alive. At this time, however, Pangloss is a beggar suffering from a sexually transmitted disease; This does not take away from his optimistic philosophy. When he finds Candide Pangloss says of his illness "it is an indispensable element of the best of all worlds... if Columbus had not caught this disease on an American island... we would have neither chocolate nor cochineal"(Voltaire, 430). Certainly, the discovery of chocolate and cochineal is a reward worth contracting a terrible disease, and by using such extreme comparisons, Voltaire attacks Leibniz's optimism. Another characteristic of Pangloss's philosophy, consistent with Enlightenment thought, is the idea of ​​cause and effect. Pangloss notes several times during the play that there is a cause and effect relationship for everything in the universe, an idea that Voltaire finds completely false. This is best illustrated in the first chapter of the short story when Pangloss says: “Notice: Noses were made to support spectacles, so we have spectacles. The legs… were made to be breeches, and we therefore have breeches” (Voltaire, 425). This is an inaccurate and unacceptable explanation of why things exist. Voltaire uses such comparisons to criticize the rationalism that characterizes Enlightenment philosophy. The philosophers of this era looked to reason to explain the world around them, and Voltaire argues that they went too far in their quest for reason. Explanations such as the one cited above indicate an over-reliance on reason, an over-reliance that has led to accepting irrational thinking as rational. There is certainly no logical element in Pangloss's explanation since legs were not made to justify the existence of breeches and noses were not made to justify the existence of glasses. For Voltaire, not everything needed a rational explanation. This is most likely rooted in his deistic beliefs, according to which God created the world but did not interfere with its functioning (Roth). Where most Enlightenment thinkers looked for a reason for everything, Voltaire saw events that did not require an explanation, and in fact perhaps had none at all. Voltaire concludes the article by criticizing philosophical thought in general. Once the fast-paced plot draws to a close, Candide no longer cares to debate either Pangloss's or Martin's philosophy. The short story ends with Pangloss beginning to explain why this is the best of all possible worlds, only to be interrupted by Candide, who says, "That is very well said, but we must cultivate our garden" (Voltaire, 482). This represents a significant change in mentality for Candide and is the method by which Voltaire makes his final claim. Throughout the play, Candide is deeply concerned with the competing philosophies of Pangloss and Martin, although he struggles to fully identify with either. However, at the end of the play; Candide no longer wants to deal with these philosophies. Voltaire thereby criticizes the inaction to which allowing himself to be consumed by philosophical thought can lead. Preoccupying himself with philosophical thought didn't stop all the horrible things from happening to one of the characters, making him somewhat insignificant. What is important, Voltaire asserts, is the quality of our actions during our lifetime, and not the quality of our philosophy. Voltaire's final point is a caution, warning his audience not to become overwhelmed by rationalism and philosophy to the point of inaction. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, Candide satirizes traditional Enlightenment philosophies by refuting optimism and warning readers against philosophical inaction. Pangloss is used to disarm and refute Leibniz's philosophical optimism and theodicy as well as to illustrate that there is no cause for everything. Voltaire concludes.