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Even though his philosophy stated that God chose "the best of all possible worlds," he also meant that God, being the perfection he is, chose the best world available to him, unfortunately it was a world containing evil. It seems as though Voltaire wanted to ridicule Leibniz’s philosophy so much that he chose to satirize only the literal meaning and fatal acceptance of evil of Leibniz’s
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Voltaire used the Bulgarians and their brutality as a basis for his satire on war. Voltaire writes how Candide was captured by the Bulgarians and is given a choice "to be beaten thirty-six times by the whole regiment, or receive twelve lead bullets at once in his brain (19)." Being the "hero" he is, Candide chooses to run the gauntlet. Instead of the thirty-six times he was to run the gauntlet, our "hero" made it only two until he pleaded to the Bulgarians to smash in his head (19). Another satire of war included in Candide is the Bulgarians’ burning of the Abarian village "in accordance with the rules of international law.(20)" Voltaire also shows his satire on war in that the Bulgarian soldiers do not just kill other people, they rape disembowel, and dismember innocent women and children. In fact, Candide’s training as a soldier involved being brutalized and beaten. Voltaire uses this example to demonstrate the inhuman vulgarity of many belligerent groups. He thought that this torture was cruel and unjustified. If this were the "best of all possible worlds," innocent people would not be harmed, and violent peoples such as the Bulgarians would not exist.
Upon arrival in England, Candide witnesses another instance of brutality, the execution of an admiral because of his failure to win a battle(Voltaire 78). A reply to Candide’s questioning of the act is, "...it is a good thing to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others (78-79)." This is an obvious allusion to an incident Voltaire himself witnessed. Admiral Byng of England was court-martialed for the same outrageous reason, and although Voltaire tried to stop the execution, Byng was still killed (Durant and Durant
Voltaire used the Bulgarians and their brutality as a basis for his satire on war. Voltaire writes how Candide was captured by the Bulgarians and is given a choice "to be beaten thirty-six times by the whole regiment, or receive twelve lead bullets at once in his brain (19)." Being the "hero" he is, Candide chooses to run the gauntlet. Instead of the thirty-six times he was to run the gauntlet, our "hero" made it only two until he pleaded to the Bulgarians to smash in his head (19). Another satire of war included in Candide is the Bulgarians’ burning of the Abarian village "in accordance with the rules of international law.(20)" Voltaire also shows his satire on war in that the Bulgarian soldiers do not just kill other people, they rape disembowel, and dismember innocent women and children. In fact, Candide’s training as a soldier involved being brutalized and beaten. Voltaire uses this example to demonstrate the inhuman vulgarity of many belligerent groups. He thought that this torture was cruel and unjustified. If this were the "best of all possible worlds," innocent people would not be harmed, and violent peoples such as the Bulgarians would not exist.
Upon arrival in England, Candide witnesses another instance of brutality, the execution of an admiral because of his failure to win a battle(Voltaire 78). A reply to Candide’s questioning of the act is, "...it is a good thing to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others (78-79)." This is an obvious allusion to an incident Voltaire himself witnessed. Admiral Byng of England was court-martialed for the same outrageous reason, and although Voltaire tried to stop the execution, Byng was still killed (Durant and Durant