Candides Growth Essay -- Philosophy

In the story Candide Voltaire uses caustic remark to criticize the philosophical views of the enlightenment period and illustrate his mindset of how an individual should view their own existence by Candides character development throughout the story. Voltaire is able to do this by introducing Candide into two contrasting philosophical views of characters that drama a large role in his life, Pangloss and Martin. At the beginning of Candides quest he followed Panglosss theory of the best of all possible knowledge domains. Panglosss ideas hinder Candide on his satire filled journey to find Cunegonde because he is overly optimistic. On his journey his outlook changes by the pessimistic influence of Martin. Which helps him develop into his own character at the end of the story.The first theory that Candide is introduced to is the oracle of the house that he was raised in Dr. Pangloss. Voltaire writes that Pangloss gave instruction in metaphysico-theologico-cosmoloonigology this is a s atire of the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz (Lawall Candide 520) . Leibniz created the doctrine of optimism which claims which holds that our world is the best of all those possible (Strickland 18). Lloyd Strickland states the most obvious objection to optimism, namely that this world contains far too much evil to be plausibly determine as the best. claimed, for instance, that Voltaires aim in Candide was to refute, or confound Leibniz by bombarding him, so to speak, with the evil of the world It is obvious to the reader that this is Voltaires motive (Strickland 19). Voltaire continues to insult Leibniz view by writing He proved admirably that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause and that in this best of all possible worlds the Baron... ...tudies 31.2 (2002) 199. donnish attempt Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2012Lawall, Sarah. The Norton Anthology of World Literature Candide. 2nd. New York W. W. Norton and Company, 2002. 522-580. Print.Kasten, Madeleine, and Curtis G ruenler. The Point Of The Plow Conceptual Integration In The Allegory Of Langland And Voltaire. Metaphor & Symbol 26.2 (2011) 143-151. academician Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.Putnam, LuElla. Boredom, Insignificance, And Death In Voltaires Candide, Charles Baudelaires The Flowers Of Evil, And Paulo Coelhos Veronika Decides To Die. Atenea 30.1-2 (2010) 67-78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012Strickland, Lloyd. False Optimism? Leibniz, Evil, And The Best Of All Possible Worlds. Forum Philosophicum International Journal For Philosophy 15.1 (2010) 17-35. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.