![]() For example, in the aftermath of the Lisbon earthquake, Pangloss chooses to contemplate the earthquake’s causes rather than doing anything to help, leaving Candide crushed under the rubble. Pangloss’s philosophical musings seem farcical in the face of reality. Pangloss once again serves as the central character for Voltaire’s critique. Action: Voltaire’s biting critique of optimism goes hand in hand with another central theme the failings of philosophical thinking. In Candide, Voltaire demonstrates how Pangloss’s optimism fails to account for random, chaotic events and the needless suffering of others. Voltaire was unable to reconcile this idea with his own life in which he saw immeasurable and senseless suffering. Certain philosophers from Voltaire’s time actively preached that the world was in its best possible state, created in perfect balance and order. Reality: Voltaire’s Candide has many themes, but its most central is the inadequacy of optimistic thinking. ![]()
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