In Candide, Voltaire expressed his hatred toward religion, and their culture as different organizations and their corruption of the view of God. Voltaire’s issue was the moral implications that separated religious groups, often to the point of war with each other. Religious intolerance was a theme he dealt with in Candide. If I was a Pope or any other religious leader during this time period reading Candide, there would be a handful of incidences that would make myself feel very uncomfortable with
In the interactive oral, we learned about Optimism in the 18th century and its relation to Candide. Optimism is the belief that good must ultimately prevail over evil in the universe. Several philosophers, mostly Leibniz, who was a German philosopher known for calculus, believed in the perfectibility in human nature. Voltaire used Dr. Pangloss to represent the ideologies of Leibniz. I believe Voltaire had a very pessimistic view of life and was not a strong supporter of the idea that mankind was
against anti-religious man, especially when it comes to the Catholic Church in Voltaire’s views, religion perpetuates superstition which in turn creates fanaticism and intolerance. The notion of Christianity that all things happen for a reason- Voltaire rejects this philosophy. In the novel, many aspects of religion come off as unreasonable and unnatural. The corruption and hypocrisy is discussed throughout Candide. After the reformation of Church, the authority of Church was questioned. Voltaire
honorable, and dear Anti-Christ," Voltaire attack the Catholic Church with relentless conviction (Davis et. al 299). In particular, he criticized any group who placed supernatural causes for natural disasters. From chapter five through eight of Candide, Voltaire ridiculed not only the Portuguese response to the great earthquake of Lisbon on November 1, 1755, but also the hypocrisy of the Inquisition. With one stone, he roasts the Portuguese for this willingness to look for supernatural protection