Excerpt from Candide

Excerpt from Candide

The excerpt from Candide is one in which Pangloss the philosopher is introduced. Here Voltaire makes clear what he thinks of optimistic philosophy.


Interpretation:
Voltiare, the greatest voice of the Enlightenment, wrote Candide in 1759 as a fierce satire against many of his peers and the institutions of his day. The Enlightenment defined the political, scientific, and philosophic transformations of the 18th century, marking a movement towards rationalism, empiricism, skepticism, and debate.

The quotation chosen exemplifies the ruthless debate that existed during the Enlightenment. The featured character in this quotation is Pangloss, the tutor of the trusting, naïve Candide. Here, Pangloss is explaining the theory of Optimism attributed to the philosopher Leibniz, where the world that exists is the best possible of all worlds that could exist. To Optimists, everything that happens is the best thing that could happen because this is the best of all possible worlds. Yet from Voltaire’s style, we can tell how absurd and incorrect he finds this philosophy to be.

Firstly, Pangloss is called a “professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology”. His ridiculous, excessive, and fictitious field of study indicates that Pangloss is not a character who we should take seriously. When explaining the theory of Optimism, Pangloss is comically illogical and absurd. Anyone one reading this text when it was published would have known that Voltaire was satirizing the philosopher Leibniz with the character of Pangloss. Today, Leibniz’s philosophy is sometimes called Panglossianim after his fictions follower.

Voltiare

Guttenberg Project

1759

Pangloss was professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology. He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause, and that, in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all possible Baronesses.

"It is demonstrable," said he, "that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for all being created for an end, all is necessarily for the best end. Observe, that the nose has been formed to bear spectacles—thus we have spectacles. Legs are visibly designed for stockings—and we have stockings. Stones were made to be hewn, and to construct castles—therefore my lord has a magnificent castle; for the greatest baron in the province ought to be the best lodged. Pigs were made to be eaten—therefore we eat pork all the year round. Consequently they who assert that all is well have said a foolish thing, they should have said all is for the best."