Voltaires Candide as an Attack on Optimism Essay -- Candide essays

Voltaires Attack on Optimism in Candide Leibnitz emphasized, in his Discours de Metaphysique (Discourse on Metaphysics) (1686) the role of a benevolent creator. He called the constituent components of the creative activity monads, and while the philosophy of monads is of little concern to readers of Candide, the result which Leibnitz drew from these monads is crucial to an understanding of optimism. Leibnitz argued that all of these monads were linked in a complex chain of cause and effect and that this linking had been done by a divine creator as he created the harmonious universe. Since he was benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient, he logically would create the scoop out of all possible human races. Hence, e genuinelything that happens in the universe is part of this greater plan, and thus must be for the best. Humans cannot take account how the evils encountered in every day life contribute to the best of universes and public harmony, but they do, nonetheless. Optimism was attractive to many because it answered a profound philosophical gesture that mankind had been grappling with since the beginning of faith if perfection is omnipotent and benevolent, wherefore why is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out of this philosophical dilemma God has do everything for the best, and even though one might experience personal misfortune, God (via your misfortune) is still helping the greater good. Voltaires experiences led him to dismiss the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds. Examining the death and destruction, both man-made and natural (including the capital of Portugal earthquake) Voltaire concluded that everything was not for the best. Bad things do ha... ...e respond, in closing, to his friend the Optimist? That is very well put, said Candide, but we must cultivate our garden (75). flora Cited and Consulted Bottiglia, William. Candides Garden. Voltaire A Collection of Critical Essays. new(a) Jer sey Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Durant, Will, Ariel Durant. The Story of nuance Part IX The Age of Voltaire. New York Simon and Schuster, 1965. Frautschi, R.L. Barrons Simplified Approach to Voltaire Candide. New York Barrons Educational Series, Inc., 1968. Lowers, James K, ed. Cliff Notes on Voltaires Candide. Lincoln Cliff Notes, Inc. 1995. Richter, Peyton. Voltaire. capital of Massachusetts Twayne Publishers, 1980. Voltaires Candide and the Critics. California Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1996. Voltaire. Candide. New York Viking Publishers, 1998.