Notes
Voltaire's Candide.
Leibniz: "That man's soul is tested in the freedom to choose between good and evil and is perfected by suffering..." His traditional argument was that evil is necessary for our free will, as we must be able to have choice -- without the freedom to choose between good and evil we have no free will.
The fictional character Pangloss (based on Voltaire's tutor) represents the followers of Leibniz who distort Leibniz's Optimism into pessimistic philosophy:
- Everything has a purpose... evil is necessary, as it is connected to and contributes to the general good
- Even the earthquakes in Lima (1746) and in Lisbon (1755) are for the best, since the Creator must use this necessary force in his master plan
- If considered in the right context, evil will be found as conducive and an essential part of the Creator's design
- "All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds"
Voltaire has everything to say against the abuse of Leibniz's original doctrines, but says nothing against the doctrines themselves, nor the traditional christian teaching reinterpreted by Leibniz.
Note on Candide:
Full of hope and endless suffering. Finds the abode of Pure Reason but is not satisfied... The search for Cunegonde = search for happiness... Martin, the closest to being Voltaires voice, is full of cynicism and finds pleasure in crushing Candide's hope.
Candide learns:
--uselessness of metaphysical speculation
--value of work