Voltaire's Use Of Metaphysical Optimism In The Candide

In 1759, French writer Voltaire The Candide. This novel displayed a more comical view of metaphysical optimism, a popular philosophy of his time. The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, was a time of growth both intellectually and morally for humanity. This is with much credit to the Protestant Reformation, when people began to reason for the answers to life's questions, rather than to the Catholic Church. Artist’s for the first time began to use perspective in paintings. While scientific research became widespread and accepted as a standard for inquiring about the nature of the universe. Immense advances were made in medicine, rather than accepting the Greek’s philosophy that sickness was caused by an imbalance of the four elements in the body.

These philosophers and majority of humanity were beginning to believe that anything that takes place does so for the good. John Locke was the first to define the self through a continuity of consciousness. Locke’s theories much like Voltaire’s branched away from the commonly known Catholic view. While each philosopher’s view was different they both strayed away from Leibniz’s philosophy that everything happens for good. Locke believed that, at birth, the mind is a blank. Contrary to Cartesian philosophy, which is based upon on pre-existing concepts. Locke supported the idea that we are born without natural ideas or ways of thinking, and that our personal knowledge is instead gained only from experience and a sense of perception. To Voltaire, we are just mice on the ship, and God is the captain. God is not very concerned about humanity, therefore leaving us to fend for ourselves. Voltaire unlike Leibniz, did not believe that some men should give up their well-being for the general good of humanity. Voltaire believed that we were placed on the Earth to do the best that we