The novel Candide, by Voltaire, expresses his values and ide
The novel Candide, by Voltaire, expresses his values and ideas of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment belief, in which a perfect society should be controlled by reforming existing institutions, is made to appear ridiculous, while perhaps all that Voltaire wanted to do was to present the history of his century with the worst abominations. It was probably Voltaire's ability to challenge all authority that was his greatest contribution to Enlightenment values. He questioned his own parenthood and his morals to express his ideas to the world of Enlightenment through the novel Candide. In particular, the novel makes fun of those who think that human beings can endlessly improve themselves and their environment. Voltaire expresses his beliefs on optimism, philosophical speculation, and religion through the main character. Candide, The main character of the novel, is set adrift in a hostile world and unsuccessfully tries to hold on to his optimistic belief that this "is the best of all possible worlds" as his tutor, Pangloss, keeps insisting. He travels throughout Europe, South America, and the Middle East, and on the way he encounters many terrible natural disasters. Candide is a good-hearted but hopelessly naive young man and his a
In conclusion Voltaire is one that rejects both optimism and pessimism. Voltaire seems to pledge skepticism and harsh voice in the age of the Enlightenment. Voltaire certainly subscribes to radical Empiricism, because the main point of the novel is that the simple observations of facts prove the contrary of most theories accepted at the time. The novel vividly and satirically portrays the horrors of eighteenth-century life: civil and religious wars, sexual diseases, despotic rulers, and the punishment of the innocent. I feel that in the novel Voltaire express to us that man is unable of understanding the evil in the world, and concludes that the essential aim of life is not happiness, but survival. There are two distinct developments in Enlightenment thought: the scientific revolution which resulted in new systems of understanding the physical world, and the reorganization of the human sciences that apply scientific thinking to what were normally not allowed when everything was seen with a critical eye. One of these ideas expressed in the novel is Optimism, both Pangloss and his student Candide maintain the idea that "everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." 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 irrational.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Enlightenment Enlightenment, Catholic Inquisitor, Martin Cacambo, Middle East, Enlightenment Voltaire, Candide Cunegonde, Pangloss Candide, Optimism Pangloss, Europe Europeans, Catholic Church, evil world, novel voltaire, main character, character novel, voltaire expresses, novel candide, philosophical speculation,
Approximate Word count = 929
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
