Candide and the Plight of Optimism

by Daniel Nicolette

       We all love a little blast to the past, but how about 300 years into it? Voltaire's Candide is a clever look into the Era of Enlightenment criticizing just about everything. Wars are bloodbaths with no winners, powerful religious figures are hypocrites, and death is just another day in the life of everyone. (except the guy who just died) Such sentiments weren't appreciated by the rulers and religious figures of 1700s Europe, so the book was harshly received by the establishment of the time.

       Voltaire's humor shines through when what seems to be hyperbole strikes the reader as truth. "What! Have you no monks who teach, who dispute, who govern, who cabal, and who burn people that are not of their opinion?" His commentary comes through the eyes of a candid man who continues to questions like these to various characters and in turn, to the reader.
       While Voltaire pokes fun of many social issues facing European society, his strongest message resonates today amongst readers. Candide, the candid man wandering to find his love, follows a philosophy of pure optimism. A mentality that everything was done for a reason, even the most brutal of savagery and horror. While important to see the glass half-full, overflowing the glass leads to incompetence and unwilling to take action against the unjusts thrust upon you in your daily life. This panglossian attitude, amply named after the philosopher Pangloss in the novel, is as dangerous today as portrayed in the book.
       "Optimism, It is the obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst." To accept the worst as the nature of God or a predestined path forces you not to consider why such things are that way. Forgoing logic and reason due to tradition or feeling is a common theme seen in modern media. Voltaire was always one to combat tyranny and superstition, and this gleams in his work.
       Overall, Candide is an excellent afternoon read if you can push through 1700s French translated into English. A true classic to survive another 300 years. Stay a little skeptical of tradition, and it'll help you look at things clearer in the future.

Care for a different take? Click here to check out the historical context from The Guardian.