Voltaire’s model for Dr. Pangloss was Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, as is made obvious by the agreement between their philosophies. In Candide, Voltaire wishes to show that Leibniz’s philosophy is unhelpful for practical purposes and can even be a hindrance at times.
In his book, Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man, and the Origin of Evil, Leibniz discusses his idea that we live in the “best of all possible worlds” because God would have chosen to create it as so. In La Monadologie, Leibniz states that the number of possible universes in God’s imagination is infinite. Since only one of them can exist, there must be a good reason that God chose this one. Because God is perfect, the reason must be that this world is more perfect that the other possible worlds. In his Letter to Bourguet (late 1712), Leibniz states “I do not believe that a world without evil, preferable in order to ours, is possible; otherwise it would have been preferred. It is necessary to believe that the mixture of evil has produced the greatest possible good: otherwise the evil would not have been permitted.” Here, …show more content…
In the first chapter, he explains that “things cannot be otherwise than they are: for all things being created for an end, all is necessarily for the best end”. In a scene where Candide and Pangloss arrive in Lisbon just before the earthquake of 1755, they watch as buildings topple and people are crushed. To this, Pangloss said “All this is for the very best end, for if there is a volcano at Lisbon it could be in no other spot; and it is impossible but things should be as they are, for everything is for the best”. By this he meant that this calamity occurred in Lisbon because that was the best place for it to occur. At the end of the story, Pangloss lists the horrible tragedies that Candide had endured, after which he asserts that it was all for the
In his book, Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man, and the Origin of Evil, Leibniz discusses his idea that we live in the “best of all possible worlds” because God would have chosen to create it as so. In La Monadologie, Leibniz states that the number of possible universes in God’s imagination is infinite. Since only one of them can exist, there must be a good reason that God chose this one. Because God is perfect, the reason must be that this world is more perfect that the other possible worlds. In his Letter to Bourguet (late 1712), Leibniz states “I do not believe that a world without evil, preferable in order to ours, is possible; otherwise it would have been preferred. It is necessary to believe that the mixture of evil has produced the greatest possible good: otherwise the evil would not have been permitted.” Here, …show more content…
In the first chapter, he explains that “things cannot be otherwise than they are: for all things being created for an end, all is necessarily for the best end”. In a scene where Candide and Pangloss arrive in Lisbon just before the earthquake of 1755, they watch as buildings topple and people are crushed. To this, Pangloss said “All this is for the very best end, for if there is a volcano at Lisbon it could be in no other spot; and it is impossible but things should be as they are, for everything is for the best”. By this he meant that this calamity occurred in Lisbon because that was the best place for it to occur. At the end of the story, Pangloss lists the horrible tragedies that Candide had endured, after which he asserts that it was all for the