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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. (over, please) 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. |
