If you’ve ever wondered if people had a sense of humor during the 18th century then look no further than Voltaire. Candide is, without a doubt, the funniest book I’ve ever read. From start to finish the exploits of Candide will leave you smiling ear to ear. This was one novel I couldn’t help but read in a single sitting, and at many points I found myself laughing out loud at jokes and plot points that happened several pages or even chapters earlier.
Voltaire’s dark sense of humor is enough to warrant a read, but for those familiar with the philosophical and historical context in which Candide was written there is a deeper sense of appreciation for just how precisely he managed to lampoon some of the dominant philosophical ideals of the time. As a shameless philosophy nerd, I’d be honored to explain for the uninitiated in (hopefully) the least pretentious way I can.
Voltaire lived at a crossroads in history where people began being disillusioned with God, Monarchies, and the hostile environment academics were forced to work in the confines in. During the 1600’s many of the world’s greatest philosophers were creating masterpieces, and challenging ideas that sometimes lead to their death, exile, or imprisonment. On one hand, you had Decartes, Spinoza, John Locke, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton championing a less dogmatic society led by scientific pursuits. On the other hand you had guys like Hobbes and Leibniz who were eager to preserve the social order by advocating for monarchies, and hypothesizing on a system of metaphysics that could prove the existence of God.
The main idea Voltaire challenges is the passive optimism championed by Leibniz and his writing about perfect worlds and Monads. Basically, Leibniz argued that multi-verses exist, but that because God is good and all powerful we must be living in the most perfect of all worlds. Voltaire took a look around at all the violence, rape, and slavery around the world and thought this attitude was awfully optimistic. You’ve no doubt heard expressions like “everything happens for a reason” or “It’s all part of God’s plan.” It was this sort of passive attitude towards change Voltaire was looking to confront.
Voltaire, a critic of the Bible and fan of Isaac Newton and Bacon, set out to criticize the ideas of Hobbes and Leibniz in Candide by demonstrating how this system of beliefs tricks the general population in to believing that everything is always how it should be. Throughout the novel, Candide proofs that Murphy’s law applies to him more than any other soul. After being schooled by a personification of Leibniz, he is expelled from his castle and subjected to torture, capture, violence, and a slew of comical adventures that must be all part of God’s plan.
It’s remarkable how fresh, funny, and modern this novel is even after centuries. The only writer with a comparable wit and clever sense of humor I’ve read is Oscar Wilde. Voltaire earned a reputation during his lifetime for being one of the most clever men who ever lived, and his wit is on full display in his magnum opus.
by NastyNava