Why Was Voltaire's Candide A Deist?

Voltaire believed in freedom of religion because if a society only has a couple religions, then everyone would turn against each other. During the Enlightenment period, if the people were

Toward the beginning of the 18th century, a new ideology began to take hold of Europe. It was during this time that a radical and critical revolution took place to bring about the use of rational thought and enlighten the people about their own beliefs and values; thus igniting the period of Enlightenment. In this period many people followed the teachings of their forefathers, such as Socrates, who was considered a figure of skepticism and rational thought. Challenging all views and theorems was the main point of this new ideology. Voltaire, a very powerful and influential figure among the writers of the 18th century, was known for his rejection of religion and a devout deist. In one of his most famous works, Candide, he

Voltaire is considered as one of the greatest Enlightenment writers in France for his extensive use of literary elements to convey his message. Voltaire satirizes different aspects of society to expose their absurdity in most of his writings. In Candide, Voltaire, by employing situational irony, mocks the blindness of society, magnifying the narrow-minded human nature.

Voltaire is a famous for his attacks of freedom of religion and freedom of speech on the Catholic church. This allows Lippmann to add credibility to his belief for the audience and the importance of respecting

He was impressed by the freedom of thought in England (“Voltaire | Author and Philosopher”). He studied the works of John Locke, and adapted them to fit his own ways of conveying messages to the French revolutionists, such as writing Locke’s ideas and theories into a novel that could be read by anyone. Through his writing, Voltaire attempted to “bring about reform of the social and legal structure that existed at the time” (“Voltaire”1). His works spoke out against war, religious intolerance, and political and social injustice. He learned to speak and write what he truly thought from studying the works of both Locke and Newton (“Voltaire”2).

Throughout Voltaire's life, he inspired people to use their reason to make decisions about religion. He believed in social religion which was the belief in God and in a world of future rewards and punishments.3 Social religion was as old as creation and believed by most people. However, it did contradict organized Christianity with its miracles, supernatural doctrines, and its religious duties. Voltaire made many attacks on the Bible and historic churches. He focused on the contradictions in the Bible and the improbabilities of miracles. The greatest of his attacks was on the Old Testament. Voltaire doubted the existence of Moses, said that the Pentateuch was absurd, and believed the Old Testament was just a "collection of fables." On the other hand, he also attacked the New Testament. He called Jesus "a good fellow, a coarse peasant, and a fanatic."4 Many people read Voltaire's writings on religion and so there was much dispute and conflict among the church. His attacks on the Bible made people think and use reason in their lives.

“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to death your right to say it,” were the famous words of Fracois Marie Arouet, more commonly known under the pen name of Voltaire. He was known for being very outspoken and rebellious, which got him into trouble with the authorities for most of his life. Voltaire advocated the French bourgeoisie as being ineffective, the aristocracy as being corrupt, and the commoners as being too superstitious. Voltaire’s beliefs on freedom and reason is what ultimately led to the French Revolution, the United States Bill of Rights, and the decrease in the power of the Catholic Church, which have all affected modern western society.

The “Age of Reason”, during Europe was a time in history where people started to confide in eachother and themselves when it came to reason and logic; and it was a period when creative ability came to light and it was encouraged. This paper will examine Voltaire 's Candide and the way Voltaire mocks religion and how this outlines Enlightenment thought.

Francois-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name “Voltaire”, once said “Nothing is more dangerous than ignorance and intolerance armed with power”. This quote criticizes the government and the Catholic Church - two institutions known for their lack of tolerance, respect, and value of the common person’s life. Voltaire was a French author, historian, and philosopher who was active during the age of enlightenment in the 18th century. It was a time characterized by the discussion of four new values: Humanitarianism, ending suffering; Progress, furthering society; Rationality, using logic and reason to improve the world; and Freedom of Thought, challenging traditional authority, blind obedience, and superstition. Voltaire is known for

Though Voltaire may not have had this personal experience, the story had been heard many times. Go to war fight and die for the power of a far off monarch. Candide may be simple, but he is not stuipid. Once he sees the equal attrocities caused by the Bulgars and enemy Avars he takes the opportunity, provided by chaos, to flee. Many of Voltaires writings are inclusive of the theme of wrongful war. In Charles XII, one of his earlier works, he addresses the lust for conquest and its consequences. At the age of eighteen, Charles XII had learned his talent for conquest and by the end of the book he had lost more than he had gained. (green voltaire) Voltaire finds war to be the same everywhere, his use of the words, “international law,” and, “ natural law,” prove this. “The Bulgars burned the Avars village in accordance with International law.”( ) It was declared, by the old woman, that international law involved searching for diamonds where, “…we women usually allow nothing but the nozzle of an enema.”

Despite not believing that God created the best possible world to live in, Voltaire did believe in God. The European Graduate School published a biography of Voltaire which remarked "Voltaire was also a fierce critique of religious traditions but that is not to say that he was averse to the idea of a supreme being. His understanding of God was deist, he reasoned that the existence of God was a question of reason and observation rather than of faith". This demonstrates that he did believe in and accept God, though in an unorthodoxed way, relying wholly on his reason and observations. Not only did these unique beliefs and idea spark some harsh feelings towards Leibniz, but they also forced Voltaire to better mask his criticism. Thus, the employment of satire in his novels, specifically Candide.

Beyond attacking men of faith, Voltaire depicts the Church as oppressive, corrupt, and he felt that it was of no need to the general public. In chapter six, Pangloss is hanged for his speech and Candide simply for listening with "an air of

The Age of Enlightenment was a philosophical and an intellectual movement that took place in Europe during the 18th century. From the 1600’s to the 1800’s, philosophers opened a path for independent thought and there were many advances in the scientific, political, economic, and mathematical realms. Many ideas were transpiring and people began to “mature,” becoming less dependent on others. This time is known for four major components: the idea of freedom of thought, rationality, progress and humanitarianism. Philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and Voltaire were all major minds that contributed to the Age of Enlightenment. Voltaire, the author of Candide, wrote about the positives and negatives impacting a person’s life. The plot of the novel revolves around Candide’s journey to find Cunegonde, the supposed love-of-his-life. Throughout the novel, characters face highs and lows, such as becoming rich, being scammed, and forced into exile. Using Candide’s life and the lives and philosophies of minor characters, Voltaire satirizes aspects of the Age of Enlightenment, especially the idea of rationality.

When François-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen-name Voltaire, secretly published Candide, ou l 'Optimisme simultaneously in five European countries in January of 1759, it was met with widespread denouncement due to its controversial content and scandalous portrayal of politics and religion. Nevertheless, the bitingly satirical novel fervently spread throughout Europe and was translated into several more languages, selling tens of thousands of copies within its first year of publication (Barnes). Despite being first categorized as dangerous blasphemy, Candide is now regarded as one of the most influential books of all time. Almost 300 years later, Candide is considered an unparalleled criticism of politics and religion during the Age of Enlightenment.

Through Candide, Voltaire analyzes the problem of evil in the world, and depicts the woes heaped upon it in the name of religion. "Let us crush the infamous one" was the rallying cry often used to summarize the flavor of the Voltarian movement. With this phrase, he referred to any form of religion that persecuted nonadherents or that constituted fanaticism. For Christianity, he would substitute deism, a purely rational religion which held God as a cosmic clockmaker who wound up the world, then left it to tick on its own. Candide had traveled throughout the world and encountered a tremendous amount of wrong (so much so that Voltaire made it unrealistic). Despite the advice of the optimistic Pangloss and the pessimistic Martin, Candide continued to search for answers - and Voltaire supplies them. The key passage in which he makes clear his point of view is the following: