Optimism as a Theme for Candide Essay - 1121 Words

Optimism as a Theme for Candide Just as on the title, Candide, or Optimism, Optimism is also used as a major theme. Voltaires satire of philosophical optimism is one of the major issues of Candide. Throughout the story, satirical references to the best of all possible worlds contrast with natural catastrophes and human wrongdoing. According to Wikipedia, optimism, the opposite of pessimism, is a lifeview where the world is looked upon the as a positive place. Optimists generally believe that people are inherently good. These people are said to have a positive outlook on life, believing that given time, things will work out in the end. Also according to Wikipedia, In philosophy, optimism is linked with the name of Gottfried†¦show more content†¦Private misfortunes make for public welfare, Pangloss concludes. This is true in a optimistic society According to SparkNotes.com: Pangloss and his student Candide maintain that everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds. This idea is a reductively simplified version of the philosophies of a number of Enlightenment thinkers, most notably Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz. To these thinkers, the existence of any evil in the world would have to be a sign that God is either not entirely good or not all-powerful, and the idea of an imperfect God is nonsensical. These philosophers took for granted that God exists, and concluded that since God must be perfect, the world he created must be perfect also. According to these philosophers, people perceive imperfections in the world only because they do not understand Gods grand plan. Because Voltaire does not accept that a perfect God (or any God) has to exist, he can afford to mock the idea that the world must be completely good, and he heaps merciless satire on this idea throughout the novel. The optimists, Pangloss and Candide, suffer and witness a wide variety of horrorsÂâ€"floggings, rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease, an earthquake, betrayals, and crushing ennui. These horrors do not serve any apparent greater good, but point only to the cruelty and folly of humanity and the indifference of the natural world. Pangloss struggles to find justification for the terrible things in the world, but hisShow MoreRelatedThe Candide By Francois Marie Arouet970 Words   |  4 PagesWorld History-H/P8 January 7th 2015 Candide Candide was written by Franà §ois-Marie Arouet or as he is most well known by his pen name, Voltaire. Candide was published by Sirà ¨ne in January 1759. This book was chosen because it is relevant to the Enlightenment through the stories of Candide. mentions many key points that period. 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