Candide or The Optimist by Voltaire

 Candide or The Optimist by Voltaire


Is it wrong, even stupid to be an optimist?

 
Candide, the main character is taught optimism by his teacher -Pangloss

And from where I see it, ever since Panglossian has become a synonym for stupid serenity.

But initially, Pangloss is the teacher of Candide and he believes that:

-          The world is the best that it can be

Voltaire is mocking the philosophers who promote superficial views of the world, in this case an exaggerated optimistic and utopia.

Voltaire ridicules Leibniz, the clergy and some of the characters.

Candide has all kinds of adventures, some them based on or happening during real historical event like the Seven Years ‘War and the Earthquake in Lisbon, which happened in 1755.

In the war. The attitude is practical and funny:

-          I would not put my life in danger for you

Candide and Pangloss run away from the war and arrive in Lisbon, where they witness the horrifying effects of the big earthquake.

However, Pangloss is still preaching –

-          All is for the best in the

-          Best of all possible worlds

And the Inquisition does not like these kinds of statements, which the Grand Inquisitor regards as blasphemy:

-          What do you mean- all is well? You disregard sin?

-          And they are sentenced to auto –dafe

But both Candide and his philosopher teacher manage to escape and meet Cunegonde, who is the woman that Candide loves throughout his travels.

Cunegonde is living proof that Candide is exaggerating with his optimism and his rosy picture of the world and everybody in it.

The daughter of a baron, she has been attacked but was saved by an officer. Cunegonde liked the officer, but he had sold her to a merchant, who then took her to Lisbon, where they all meet again.

Because of the troubles with the Inquisition, candied and his companions have to escape and they reach the shores of Latin America, and we travel extensively within this very likeable work.

Candide leaves me in a quandary. I have listened to an adaptation made for our National Radio and I loved it. I am not sure how much I would enjoy the original version in this case.

It is obviously better to read the whole work, generally speaking. But in the case of old literature, it may be different, at least for this reader. I have started The Canterbury Tales and some other old style works and I was not thrilled and actually I have abandoned the reading.

-          What if the whole of Candide is not palatable?

I am not sure, but I absolutely loved the abridged version that lightened my morning. Candide is one of the most influential works- this is what I read about it, now that I have had my own encounter with this great work.

And a few words about optimism. To be optimistic is necessary and good- those who have a positive attitude towards the future have been proved to live longer, healthier, happier lives.

There is a danger of an over optimistic attitude, as Martin Seligman said:

-          An airplane pilot, flying in freezing weather need to take all precautions and defrost the wings of the plane

-          He can’t say- I am optimistic and all will go well

-          The same thing for doctors performing operations- they need to wash their hand and take all the necessary steps before entering the operating room.

We must be optimistic, but not Panglossian and…

-          We must cultivate the garden

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