Pessimists exist because the world has an over-abundance of optimists.
I am optimistic about one day becoming an optimist, but I am also a pessimist about my ability to overcome pessimism. – Confessions of a Plastic Brain
Regarding Candide, we might ask: was it necessary for a philosopher to fill over a hundred pages to fictionally illustrate his simple point that optimism, when it isn’t paired with rational action? Moreover, since he illustrated it with over a hundred pages of imaginary pain and suffering, we are warranted in asking if history is so lacking in suffering that it needs the suffering related in Candide?
To be honest, Candide is not a newspaper; it is not ‘objective’ – not, it tells its story in order to illustrate a conclusion about life that everyone should have drawn long ago.
Then, was Voltaire an optimist about the power of his work?
Candide tortures its readers on another level as well, since its plot that leaves nothing to the imagination, generates no suspense, offers no protagonist to identify with (Candide is a fool, Cunegonde is not much better, and anyway, the narrator is so detached as to make empathy impossible), is completely predictable, and yet, is enjoyable… thought provoking … or is it?
The fact that Candide could be written at all is also a mystery. How does one write or live with a belief that death, pain and suffering exist without any respect for humans and human notions of justice, karma, and the divine will? For such a philosophy one needs a healthy dose of candy, I mean comedy, which Voltaire’s wit generously applied.
