Candide Voltaire FranoisMarie Arouet 1694 1778 Key Issues

Candide Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet: 1694 -1778)

Key Issues of the 18 th Century • How would you define ‘Evil’? – Man-made evil – Natural evil • “Evil is the name we give to the forces of chaos that do not just oppose but utterly negate the basic principles by which we live as individuals and as part of a society. It does not discriminate. ”(Coward) • “…the violator of ethical rules constantly escapes the punishment which he deserves; that the wicked flourishes like a green bay tree, while the righteous begs his bread…” (Huxley)

What’s the problem? • The paradox of Epicurus (4 BC): God is good and therefore cannot wish to harm his creatures. God is also all-powerful and therefore able to protect them. But Evil exists and his creation is harmed. We must conclude that… • …either God wants us to suffer, in which case He is not good; or that he cannot prevent our suffering, which means that He is not omnipotent. If God has both the will and the power to prevent Evil, then where does it come from?

18 th Century solutions… • Bayle (1697) “Dictionnaire historique et critique”: The Manichean thesis – the world is controlled by two opposing forces, one good and one evil, God and Satan, light and darkness; life on earth is a constant conflict between the two. • King (1701) “De Origine Male”: evil is neither God nor man-made, but a necessity. God is perfect and only He can be so, otherwise there would lots of other gods. Hence all that exists must, by logic, be imperfect. This ‘imperfection’ is what we term ‘Evil’. We should accept all natural and human imperfections and any resultant ‘evil’, and worship the perfect God as our divine creator.

18 th Century solutions… • Leibniz (1710) “Essai de Théodicée”: Creation is by definition imperfect, resulting in Evil. But why, if Evil is unavoidable, did God create anything at all? • Since He is good, He would obviously have created a Universe as good as could be made. He did not omit the imperfections, since that must not have been the best option. Therefore, this world must be the best of all possible worlds, which God might have created.

18 th Century solutions… • Pope (1733) “An Essay on Man”: Despite scientific progress of recent years – Newton, Galileo, Harvey – we are only just beginning to understand our Universe; we can recognise some parts, but certainly not yet the whole. The rhythm of the seasons, day and night, a butterfly wing all indicate the governance of a supreme being, which we do not yet understand. Everything must, therefore, have its part to play. • An individual cog may appear small and ugly, but it contributes to the overall beauty and intricacy of the clock in which it operates. Therefore… • “Whatever is, is right. ”

Other ideas… • Deism: a belief that all in Life is pre-destined, according to God’s master plan. The only problem with this is… • … that the original Fall of Man and his expulsion from the Garden of Eden was the result of Free Will – God’s unique and controversial gift to humanity; the ability to choose Good or Evil. So… • …if mankind is blessed with Free Will and the ability to choose, how can his future be already pre-ordained?

Other ideas… • Compensation: Life is defined as a continual balance between two sides. Just as there is day and night, • male and female, hot and cold, black and white, joy and pain, life and death, • so there is Good and Evil. • One cannot exist without the other and… • …each defines the other.

Other ideas… • Optimism: Put simply, Optimists recognised that Evil was a necessary part of existence, but sought not to over -exaggerate it. The focus on the positive aspects of life resulted in a positive spin being applied to any apparently negative event – • a flood may kill hundreds and devastate villages, but the land will be made more fertile as a result, which will produce better harvests for future generations… • By the mid 18 th century, Optimism had become a popular and superficial response to society’s many complex problems, perpetuated by Pope’s slogan “Whatever is, is right” and Leibniz’ “This is the best of all possible worlds”.

The Historical Context • Science: The 18 th century was known as the Age of Enlightenment – a time of increasing Reason, Cause & Effect and Empiricism. • Lisbon: In 1755 (November 1 st – All Saints’ Day) the Lisbon earthquake destroyed large parts of the city and killed 20000 people. • War: The 7 Years’ War (France/Austria/Russia v Prussia) began in 1756 and was noted for several brutal massacres and much irrational violence.

Candide • Voltaire wrote Candide in 1759, within this philosophical and historical context. • It is known as a ‘conte philosophique’: “Je veux qu’un conte soit fondé sur la vraisemblance, et qu’il ne ressemble pas toujours à un rêve… que, sous le voile de la fable, il laissât entrevoir aux yeux exercés quelque vérité fine qui échappe au vulgaire. ”