Master Pangloss, the greatest philospher in Westphalia, is the man that holds the indomitable belief that human beings live in "the best of all possible worlds." This optimistic philosophy of life is one of the most important points manifested in the first few chapters of the book, due to the fact that it constantly comes under brutal attack with each of the never ending misfortunes of Candide.
Take the scene when Candide finds a deformed beggar in the street. It turns out that it is Pangloss, who currently finds himself not only homeless, because the Bulgars attacked the Baron's castle and killed everyone inside it, but also consumed by syphilis which he contracted from Paquette. The irony and absurdity of the situation becomes visible when Pangloss' "marvelous" life philosophy comes into play, as he says that syphilis is necessary in the best of the worlds because the line of infection leads back to a man who who traveled to the New World with Columbus, and if Columbus had not traveled to the New World and brought syphilis back to Europe then Europeans would also have not enjoyed New World wonders such as chocolate.
This in my opinion is a ridiculous mock to intellectuals of the Enlightenment Era, making Pangloss the perfect parody to the all ideal philosopher of the time.
Emilia,
ReplyDeleteI also found it very amusing when Voltaire mocked Pangloss. I think that Voltaire not only satirizes his optimistic philosophy as he lived in misery, but also his flawed logic, as Pangloss justifies syphilis with American chocolate. Voltaire was probably trying to target useless enlightened noblemen who failed to solve actual problems and philosophized unaware of their environment.