Satire And Philosophy In Candide, By Voltaire

Philosophical advancements were extremely characteristic of the Age of Enlightenment, allowing many artists and writers to pave the way to express their own ideologies and philosophies through both art and literature. In response to these Enlightenment philosophers, professor William Harmon and author Hugh Holman write, “The philosophes agreed on faith in human rationality and the existence of discoverable and universally valid principles governing human beings, nature and society. They opposed intolerance, restraint, spiritual authority, and reveled religion” (Harmon and Holman, 190). Voltaire, an incredibly renowned writer during the Enlightenment era, was revolutionary in establishing the characters in his works to be innovative in a sense of philosophy— each having their own perspective and outlook on what it means to be living in the world. As far as philosophical development during this time period, Voltaire was able to advance his personal convictions regarding philosophy in Candide as a way of mocking the time of the Enlightenment altogether, essentially using satire throughout his book to criticize the society and era in which he lived.

Man has always prided themselves in whatever they have done since the beginning of time, and with the Age of Enlightenment in which Voltaire lived and was a scholar and innovator of philosophy himself, these achievements of man were thought to be something of perfection, existing in a world of perfect-like utopia. But, Voltaire challenged this so renowned belief and influenced scholars into believing that the world is dependent upon reason and civil liberties— which was ultimately what the Enlightenment truly stood for: innovation, philosophical advancements, and introductions to new thought processes regarding the overall way of