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Masterpieces 272 The Role of Optimism in Candide From the essay Attacking Optimism:
Everything isn't for the best, and Voltaire knew it by Eric Jonas (The page numbers below reflect those
of our text.) What is optimism? In 1686, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a
prominent philosopher, emphasized the role of a benevolent creator—a creator
who thought kindly toward us and wished us well ((Discours de Metaphysique (Discourse
on Metaphysics)). Here are the basics of this philosophy: Ø Monads are the constituent components of the universe. Ø All
monads are linked in a complex chain of cause and effect. Ø A
Creator had linked these in a particular order to create a harmonious
universe. Ø Since
this Creator is benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient, He, by logical
extension, would create the best of all worlds. Ø Hence,
everything that happens in the universe is part of this greater plan, and
thus must be for the best. Ø The
reason that we humans cannot appreciate how the evils encountered in everyday
life contribute to the best of universes and universal harmony is the fault
of our limited perception. Ø According
to the theory, no matter how confusing and unfair life may seem, everything
happens for the best because each event is a precisely placed monad in the
Creator’s universal chain. Ø Thus,
the theory of Optimism. Optimism was attractive to many because it answered a
profound philosophical question that mankind had been grappling with since
the beginning of faith: if God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why is
there so much evil in the world? How does this account for disasters? (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
and the like). Optimism provides an easy way out of this
philosophical dilemma: God has made everything for the best, and even though
one might experience personal misfortune, God (via your misfortune) is still
helping the greater good. What was Voltaire opposed to? Voltaire's 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 Lisbon earthquake),
Voltaire concluded that everything was not for the best. Bad things do happen,
and they happen without being part of a greater good. How, then, did Voltaire answer the question
so easily solved by optimism, namely, why does evil exist in the world? As a
Deist, Voltaire's God was one who initially created the world and then left
it to its own devices. When, at the end of Candide,Pangloss asks
the dervish why man exists, the dervish responds, "What does it matter
whether there's good or evil? When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does
he worry whether the mice on board are comfortable or not? "(437). To Voltaire, people were the mice, and
"his highness" the king was not concerned in the least with their
day-to-day existence. |