Voltaire And Machiavelli
The novel, Candide, by Voltaire, is a scathing, satirical criticism of the world. It is a product of possibly the greatest philosopher of the Enlightenment. The novel examines many aspects of the world, which Voltaire found to be troublesome. These different aspects include everything from philosophy to slavery.
The first attack of the book is an attack on ideas. Philosophical optimism is derided in the form of a philosopher named Pangloss, who from the first page espouses the belief that this is the best possible world that we live in, and there could be no better. Throughout the book, nothing but horrible atrocities occur, and this mode of thought, popular in Voltaire's time, is ...
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especially that of Leibnitz for whom Pangloss was a follower.
It seems as though Voltaire is condemming metaphysics and theology in general. "Pangloss was a professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology (1). The name alone seems to poke fun at the entire branch of learning. A most appropriate example of this can be made of James, a man who takes in the starving Pangloss and Candide most generously. As the men are on a trip, he is thrown over the side of the ship off the Cape of Lisbon. Candide is about to save him but is stopped by Pangloss who tires to prove to him "a priori" that the sea off the Cape of Lisbon was made to drown honest James (10).
The next intellectual system that Voltaire attacksis that of scholasticism. Throughout the book, Voltaire hints at this by showing the foolishness of simply accepting what one is told as truth, as Candide accepts the teachings of Pangloss. He learns eventually that, that Pangloss is wrong. This is a powerful theme ...
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Jews, Muslims, and Christians. His problem is organized religion in general. On page 26, the old woman describes how she witnessed the most awful atrocities and killings in Islamic country. She speaks of heaps of dead bodies and how the people still found time to "stop and pray as prescribed by Mohammad" (26). In the book, Voltaire shows what religion should be, as it is in El Dorado where everyone prays to God, yet, there is no organized religion. All is welcome and wonderful there. On page 44 Candide asks, "What! You have no monks who teach, who dispute, who govern, who Cabal, and who must burn people who arew not of their opinion?" It is evident that Voltaire is against ...
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"Voltaire And Machiavelli." Essayworld.com. September 5, 2008. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Voltaire-And-Machiavelli/89457.
"Voltaire And Machiavelli." Essayworld.com. September 5, 2008. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Voltaire-And-Machiavelli/89457.
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