Voltaire's Candide as a vehicle for discrediting optimism Optimism attracted many because it answered a profound philosophical question: if God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why is there 'is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out: God has made everything for the best, and even though you might experience personal misfortune, God (through your misfortune) is still helping the greater good. Voltaire's experiences led him to reject the idea that this is the best solution. of all possible worlds. Examining death and destruction, both man-made and natural (including the Lisbon earthquake), Voltaire concluded that all was not well. Voltaire uses Candide as a vehicle to attack optimism. Pangloss does not intend to attack Leibnitz, but rather optimism as a philosophy. The reader cannot therefore forget that all Pangloss's digressions are not Voltaire's personal attacks on Leibnitz, but represent in some way a characterization of the “typical” optimist. Pangloss, writes Voltaire, "demonstrated admirably that there cannot be an effect without a cause, and that in this best of all possible worlds the baron's castle was the most beautiful of all castles and his wife the best of all possible baronesses" (Voltaire 2). We have thus consecrated Pangloss as the champion of optimism. But just as quickly Voltaire points out the absurdity of this doctrine. “Look,” says Pangloss, trying to prove that everything has a cause and an effect, “noses were made to support glasses, so we have glasses. The legs, as anyone can clearly see, were made to be breeches, and so we have breeches. "(Voltaire 3). The absolute stupidity of these illogical conclusions probably... middle of paper... Will Candide respond, in conclusion, to his friend the Optimist?" This is very well said, said Candide, but we must cultivate our garden" (Voltaire 75). Works cited and consulted: Bottiglia, William. "The Garden of Candide." Voltaire: a collection of critical essays. New Jersey: Prentice- Hall, Inc., 1968. Durant, Will, Ariel Durant. The History of Civilization: Part IX: The Age of Voltaire. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965. Frautschi, R.L. Barron's Simplified Approach to Voltaire: Candide .New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1968.Lowers, James K, ed. "Cliff Notes on Voltaire's Candide."Lincoln: Cliff Notes, Inc. 1995. Richter, Peyton. 1980. Candide and the Critics of Voltaire. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1996. Candide. New York: Viking Publishers, 1998.