Voltaire's Candide is a satirical piece that details Candide's eventful travels in order to criticize many aspects of Enlightenment philosophical thought, including theodicy and l Leibniz's philosophical optimism, rationalism and the complacency indicative of stoic philosophical contemplation. Candide is used to explore many of the new philosophical ideals that were spreading in Europe during the Enlightenment. Overall, the plot of the piece is full of action, and this abundance of action is a means through which Voltaire examines some of these philosophies. Furthermore, Voltaire pairs the events of the plot with characters emblematic of different schools of Enlightenment thought. For example, the character of Pangloss illustrates the ideals of both philosophical optimism and theodicy. Characters like these are used to analyze the validity of different schools of thought. Through these various means Voltaire communicates a fundamental disagreement with many ideals of the Enlightenment. Specifically, Voltaire uses Pangloss to criticize the idea that this world is the best of all possible worlds, as Leibniz's philosophical optimism holds (Look). Additionally, Pangloss is used to criticize the idea of ​​cause and effect. Pangloss' character 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 greater plan (Roth). Finally, Voltaire concludes the piece with a critique of inaction caused by excessive philosophical reflection. In summary, the piece is a critique not only of the specific philosophies of the Enlightenment, but of philosophical thought in general. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of the most widespread philosophies in Voltaire's time was that of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who argued that this world is "the best of all possible worlds" " (Aspect). Furthermore, Leibniz justifies the existence of evil in world as part of a greater plan that man cannot understand. These two ideals form the basis of theodicy and is also known as philosophical optimism (Look), the philosopher Pangloss represents this philosophy in the most accurate way, using Leibniz's phrase “the best of all possible worlds” many times. However, Voltaire uses Pangloss to show the absurdity of this philosophy. At one point Pangloss justifies the Lisbon earthquake by saying that “all this is better this way, because if there is a volcano in Lisbon, it cannot be anywhere else, since it is unthinkable that things are not where they are” (Voltaire , 432). This statement is an absurd justification of a natural disaster and shows that negative events cannot be ignored so easily. It is certainly difficult to imagine what greater good was brought about by such a natural disaster. However, Voltaire extends his criticism of theodicy to human affairs, as is illustrated when Candide first learns that Pangloss is still alive. At this moment, however, Pangloss is a beggar suffering from a sexually transmitted disease; this does not discourage his optimistic philosophy. When reunited with Candide Pangloss says of his illness "it is an indispensable part of the best of worlds... if Columbus had not contracted, on an American island, this disease... 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 through the use of such extreme comparisons Voltaire attacksLeibniz's optimism. Another hallmark of Pangloss' philosophy consistent with Enlightenment thought is the idea of ​​cause and effect. Pangloss notes several times throughout the piece that there is a cause and effect relationship for everything in the universe, an idea that Voltaire finds entirely false. This is best exemplified in the opening chapter of the novella when Pangloss says “Observe: noses were made to support glasses, so we have glasses. Legs… were made to be shod, and so we have breeches” (Voltaire, 425). This is an inaccurate and unacceptable explanation of why things are. Voltaire uses comparisons like these to criticize the rationalism that was the hallmark of Enlightenment philosophy. Philosophers during this period looked to reason to explain the world around them, and Voltaire claims that they went too far in their search for reason. Explanations such as the one cited above indicate an overreliance on reason, an overreliance that has led to irrational thinking being accepted as rational. There is certainly no logical component to Pangloss's explanation since legs were not made to justify the existence of trousers 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, that God created the world but did not interfere with its functioning (Roth). Where most Enlightenment thinkers sought a reason for everything, Voltaire saw events that did not require explanation, and in fact may not have any at all. Voltaire concludes the piece by criticizing philosophical thought in general. Once the torrid plot comes to a close, Candide no longer bothers to discuss either Pangloss's or Martin's philosophy. The novella ends with Pangloss beginning to explain why this is the best of all possible worlds, only to be interrupted by Candide, who says "This is very well said, but we must cultivate our garden" (Voltaire, 482). This represents a significant change in Candide's mindset and is the method by which Voltaire makes his final statement. Throughout the piece Candide is deeply interested in the competing philosophies of Pangloss and Martin, although he struggles to fully identify with either. At the end of the piece, however; Candido no longer wants to deal with these philosophies. In this way, Voltaire criticizes the inaction to which allowing oneself to be consumed by philosophical thought can lead. Caring about philosophical thought didn't stop all the horrible things from happening to any of the characters, and that makes it somewhat insignificant. What is important, says Voltaire, is the quality of one's actions while alive, not the quality of one's philosophy. Voltaire's last point is a warning, cautioning his audience not to allow themselves to be overwhelmed by rationalism and philosophy to the point of inaction. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, Candide satirizes traditional Enlightenment philosophies by both 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 not one cause for everything. Voltaire then concludes the piece by warning his audience against inaction due to an over-reliance on philosophical thought. After experiencing events that most humans cannot imagine, Candide finally learns to simply live his life. Candide is introduced to the reader as.