Candide goes through life with childlike naivety and shys away from making his own philosophical proclamations, often allowing others to think for him and act as his surrogate brain. Instead of taking a step back and truly reflecting on the world for himself, Candide is quick to accept Pangloss's absurd teachings and has great difficulty letting them go. Even when Candide is faced with the opportunity to rethink the doctrines of Pangloss, he still relies on the belief systems of others. While his attitude is pathetic, it is neither harmless nor rare: too often people wander the world mindlessly, clinging to ideologies and lifestyles without examining the reasons why they do so. What does it mean to think critically about the world and oneself, and why is Candide's lack of analytical ability so dangerous? How does a lack of critical thinking manifest itself throughout history, and what might the real-world implications be? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Almost every sentence uttered by Candide is preceded by a reference to Pangloss and shaped around the empty rhetoric of his guardian, revealing Candide's difficulty in letting go of his main principles lens of perception of the world. Even when he begins to question Pangloss's ideas that the world is in perfect order and all is well, he continues to wonder what Pangloss would say about the misfortunes he encounters instead of relying on his own reactions to determine how he sees what is happening around to him. . He spends much more time lamenting his separation from Pangloss than wondering why he trusted the man so much. Voltaire writes: “He thought of Pangloss with every (bad luck) story he heard. “That Pangloss,” he said to himself, “would have a hard time defending his system. I wish he were here,” helplessly unable to interrogate Pangloss's thought system himself and rely on his own intellect to show him the way. (71) Interestingly, Pangloss's fatal mistake is to gloss over all of life's difficulties, making senseless assumptions and ignoring reality, but it takes Candide the entire book to see the obvious, that Pangloss was terribly wrong in his idealistic assessments, no matter how attractive his vision of a ubiquitously happy world may be. After everything goes wrong in his life, Pangloss is resolute "I still hold to my original views because I am a philosopher, and it would not be right for me to recant, since Leibniz cannot be wrong", revealing that Pangloss himself is no better of Candide, a mere spokesperson for another's ideas, who parrots his words without contemplating their absurdity. (Voltaire 108) Pangloss proves himself to be a hypocrite when he admits that he continued to advocate a hyperoptimistic way of thinking even when he himself stopped believing in it. Having hope in the midst of pain is very different than acting like a starry-eyed child and steadfastly looking at a complicated world through rose-colored glasses, but he and Candido are often content to live in fantasy even when the uglier side of life comes relentlessly. put to the test. At a certain point, Voltaire writes, “Candide admitted that the old woman was right. «It is a great pity that the wise Pangloss was hanged, contrary to custom, in an auto-da-fé: he would have told us wonderful things about the physical and moral evils that cover the land and the sea, and I would have felt strong enough to venture some respectful objection ” (46) Thus, even Candide's “objections” are only a formality for the game of philosophizing;he actually wishes Pangloss was alive to hold his hand and tell him exactly what to do. “We will definitely be roasted or boiled. Ah, what would Dr. Pangloss say if he saw what human nature is like? It's okay, I won't argue about it; but I must admit that it is a cruel fate to lose Madame Cunegonde and then be roasted on a spit” (Voltaire 56). The reader would almost like to shake Candide and encourage him: “Yes! Discuss it! Explore the nuances of this philosophy that you so eagerly accept as dogma,” but sadly it is useless. Candide searches in vain for explanations but gives up asking questions, abruptly abandoning doubts and questions before having the chance to actually make any intellectual progress. After Candide embarks on his whirlwind journey, he does not poke beneath the surface of El Dorado or question whether this place is a fantasy, further evidence of his simplistic thinking. Although he exerts some willpower in deciding to leave El Dorado, it is doubtful that he reflects on his decision, always guided primarily by the siren call of Cunegonde, as well as the promise of wealth. He loses the impetus for exploration just as he loses interest in investigating other points of view: “I have no curiosity to see France… after spending a month in El Dorado, a man has no interest in seeing anything else on the earth, except Lady Cunegonde. " (Voltaire 75) Candide reflects that Eldorado is “probably the country where everything goes well, because there must be one like that somewhere. And, despite what Doctor Pangloss said, I have often noticed that in Westphalia everything was rather bad ” (a huge understatement.) (Voltaire 61) Is Candide's instinctive reaction to El Dorado really wise? He stays there a while, has some delicious meals, speaks briefly with the king, and believes that the atmosphere is peaceful and prosperous as it seems on the surface, then goes cheerfully on his way, yet another example of Candide taking things in the face. Without raising an eyebrow, he unquestioningly accepts their secret reasoning, “they ordered that no inhabitant of the our little kingdom would ever leave him, and this is what has preserved our innocence and happiness", a Platonic metaphor for Candide's childhood inability to think outside the box Pangloss has trapped him. (Voltaire 62) Candide has a tendency to mindlessly following the direction of others, appearing too confident while throwing caution and consideration of self-preservation to the wind. The strangers who persuade him to join the Bulgarian army say, "Men were only made to help each other," a simplistic and idealistic platitude that has been proven false time and time again throughout history, yet Candide refuses to question their motives, blindly walking into their dangerous trap because, frankly, their words sound very similar to something his mental master Pangloss might utter, having argued that everything is created for a beneficial purpose (Voltaire 17) Pangloss he even told him once “the more individual misfortunes there are, the more everything goes well,” and Candido listened diligently. (Voltaire 25) Candide asks many questions, but sometimes a simple: “Why?” it would be enough. Being a philosopher and using critical thinking does not necessarily involve elaborate thought processes and brilliant metaphors; no, you have to have the courage to face childish questions head on. Candido's stupidity is somewhat forgivable considering his upbringing and the desperation of his situation, but the fact that he doesn't even think twice about the Bulgarians' offers of generosity shows how reckless Candido's recklessness is, his willingness to take all at face value. , and his eagerness to blindly follow whoever gives him orders, thewhich ends up causing him great physical torment and putting him in grave danger. While it might seem that Candide is taking a small step towards thinking for himself by befriending Martin, considering that Martin has radically different ideas about the world, the consummate pessimist contrasted with Pangloss's unwavering optimist, but it becomes clear that Martin is just another intellectual point of reference for Candide to cling to in a futile effort to make sense of a chaotic world and find someone else to think for him. The reforgives Candide of his Bulgarian crimes because "Candide was a young metaphysician, completely ignorant of worldly matters", but why should a philosopher be removed from the realities of human existence? (Voltaire 20) Shouldn't this be an integral part of the critical examination of life? Studying deeply all aspects of the human condition and reflecting on the great questions of existence should not mean that a thinker alienates himself from society and becomes so unaware of the ways of the world that he no longer knows what is going on. Solitary hermits may indeed gain wisdom by wandering the desert, but it is helpful to understand the ways of the world to help it become a better place. Perhaps this is Pangloss's (and by extension Candide's) main problem: his mind is so far removed from reality that even when confronted with chaos and senseless violence, he clings firmly to his watered-down ideology without stopping to address the holes evident in its own logic. . Thinking critically and being a philosopher does not imply that you operate in a whole other sphere and have no place in the world; in fact, greater involvement means greater understanding of philosophy. It is no use for a scholar to confine himself to an ivory tower and let his head go in the clouds: Pangloss may not be a very good philosopher himself, but philosophizing has a real impact on world affairs, influencing generations of thought and shaping social attitudes. Candide's inability to make a decision is reflected in the novel's fast-paced, twisting plot structure. Candide wanders from place to place, vagabond and unattached. Candido rarely travels alone; he must have someone to lean on otherwise he becomes desperate. There is nothing wrong with seeking community and seeking out others to impart knowledge or wisdom, but Candide is probably so dependent on other people that he cannot function without someone to guide him. His behavior resembles that of anyone who recklessly holds to a belief without stopping to contemplate its implications. At first Candide seems harmless, even endearing, in his unshakeable certainty in Pangloss's ridiculous claims and in his childlike fickleness when he finally begins to realize that Pangloss might be wrong after being hit over the head with life's widespread misery. Acting like a lost puppy has real-world consequences; amassing brainwashed followers is how tyrants gain power, encouraging codependency is how women are sometimes subjected to unhealthy relationships, cultivating ignorance is how cults gain followers, and perpetuating narrow-mindedness is how systems of injustice remain unchecked. It can be argued that the heart and mind are intertwined, and Candide exchanges lovers with as little care as he adopts philosophical ideologies. He has no apparent desire to penetrate deeply into Cunegonde's heart, mind, and soul, but is instead mesmerized by her beautiful face. It almost works as a metaphor for the way Candide takes so much at face value and struggles to penetrate throughthe outside. At first he literally adheres to Pangloss' teachings only because he wants to impress her: "Candide listened attentively and believed naively, because he found Lady Cunegonde extremely beautiful, although he never had the courage to tell her so." (Voltaire 16) When they part, at one point he laments that he "never saw the beautiful Cunegonde again in my life." (Voltaire 54) We know almost nothing about the content of his character, his aspirations, his defects, his virtues, and neither, apparently, does Candide know it, who realizes that he has never received even one of his letter or even thought about it. intelligence. Or he just doesn't care, because essentially all he talks about is her beauty. When he is about to see her again after a long separation, his burning questions are: “Is she still a beauty prodigy? Does he still love me? Is he in good health? Have you bought her a palace?" (Voltaire 101) Candide tells Cunegonde's brother, “Dr. Pangloss has always told me that all men are equal, and I will surely marry her,” suggesting that his fierce reluctance to give up Cunegonde is also motivated by membership in Pangloss, not by a self-motivated act, the result of deep love and reflection. (Voltaire 53)He obsessively fails to let go of his idealized vision of Cunegonde; when she absurdly reappears after being "killed", Candide hardly asks questions but "hangs on her every word and devours it with his eyes". (Voltaire 31) He is even naively excited to see his scars. His “inexpressible joy at seeing (and talking to) you again” might be endearing if it weren't so focused on the senses. (Voltaire 33) Candide barely sees Cunegonde as a real person, as she operates more as an image in his head, using her as an ambiguous goal or prize to strive for when he can find no other reason to continue living. He has an attractive face and Candide acts like a child attracted to a shiny toy instead of determining whether they are truly compatible or whether he has an attractive inner being that matches his outward appearance. It doesn't take long for Candido to move away and replace one superficial fixation with another because his interest is based on something insipid and fleeting: the face. After seeing a beautiful but untalented actress, he reflects: “The actress is very attractive. She bears a slight resemblance to Lady Cunegonde. I would like to pay my respects to you." (Voltaire 78) Candide's romantic fickleness is indicative of his deepest struggle with a one-dimensional idea of ​​the world, refusing to delve into the mechanisms of Pangloss's philosophy, taking its authenticity for granted. When the Candido's new object of romantic interest tells him that he should answer that he no longer loves Cunegonda, Candido meekly agrees: “I'm sorry, madam. I will answer you as you prefer,” further evidence that Candido has serious problems thinking with the own head. (Voltaire 83) Because she resembles Lady Cunegonde, Candide is in love with this new woman, even though they are, most likely, two very different people. “Although I can't wait to see Lady Cunegonde again, I would still like to have dinner with Mademoiselle Clairon, because she made a deep impression on me." (Voltaire 79) Just as he devoted himself to Pangloss' teachings without actually examining its flaws beneath the surface, he is probably in love with Cunegonde's appearance, not with her, easily replacing her with little remorse, though he returns faithfully to Cunegonde as his mind continues to fall back to Pangloss in moments of crisis. When he finds that her appearance has worsened, he states: "whether beautiful or ugly, I am a man of honor and my duty is to love her forever." (Voltaire 102) But her attitude is so reluctant that it makes one think that thehis words belie the truth. She reflects, "it's a shame that it has become so ugly," without considering the pain and torment she has endured, how she might feel about being violated and changing hands again and again, focusing instead, as usual, on the external and not looking further. the surface in his mind or heart. (Voltaire 192) Candide's deteriorated optimism is represented by Cunegonde, “When Candide, the tender lover, saw the clear and weathered face of his beautiful Cunegonde, the bloodshot eyes, the withered breasts, the wrinkled cheeks and his arms red and scaly, he took three steps back in horror, but then stepped forward out of kindness… In the depths of his heart, Candide had no desire to marry Cunegonde” (Voltaire 109) Candide is not deterred by his own doubts, failing to recognize that no desire for marriage will likely lead to an unhappy person, but he agrees to marry her because he thinks it is what he should do, what an honorable man in society would do. This is not an unusual occurrence: marrying someone or pursuing a certain career path simply because it seems like the right thing to do to a stranger, and it is certainly not out of character for Candide, whose innocent naivety and desire to please prove to be more akin to vices than virtues. Nonetheless, through the symbol of Cunegonde's facial deterioration, he finally sees the reality of life, the ugliness of the world, and is forced to make peace with it, whether he likes it or not. The few times Candide doesn't consult anyone's opinion and relies solely on his own judgment, he ends up killing someone or stupidly getting into trouble. He is displeased and shocked by his own impulsiveness, by his refusal to stop and think before acting, amazed by his own inability to control himself or the world around him: "I killed my former master, my friend, my brother ... legally! I am the kindest man in the world, and yet I have already killed three men and two of them were priests!” (Voltaire 53) Not to claim that Candide had no justification, but can Candide know right from wrong? He says to Cunegonde, “when a man is in love, jealous, and whipped by the Inquisition, he no longer knows what he is doing,” but Candide, floating through life, rarely seems to know what he is doing or, more importantly, why. (Voltaire 36) Unsure of how to correct his post-murder condition, Candide laments, “If Pangloss had not been hanged, he would give us a good advice in this extreme situation, because he was a great philosopher, let's consult the old woman (Voltaire 34) His sudden idea of ​​​​killing the monkeys is also carried out recklessly and recklessly, because of good will. he doesn't even stop to consider why these apes are strangely dating women in the first place and deliberates from there. At the end of the book, when he sees a resurrected Pangloss again, he finally takes the lead and asks, "Tell me, my dear Pangloss, when you were hanged, dissected, cruelly beaten and forced to row in a galley, don't you still think that all was right in the world? (Voltaire 106) At this stage in Candide's journey, this question is timely but seems almost futile, the kind of question he should ask himself. Pangloss the person continues to haunt him in much the same way that Pangloss's theories haunt him, creeping back into Candide's psyche just when the reader hopes that we will finally be rid of him so that the narrative can progress with Candide the critical thinker at the helm, as opposed to Candide the steadfast prosecutor/student of Pangloss. Candido's desire to know the world anddiscussing philosophy is promising, more than can be said for some individuals, but although he is continually searching for the origin and purpose of the world, he lacks the ability to discern. At least Candido cares, which is why there are glimmers of hope that he can develop critical thinking skills. Candide is clearly capable of making his own decisions and determinations about the world, but usually when forced to do so. Towards the beginning of the story, balanced between a rock and a hard place, he reflects, "it was of no use to him to maintain that man's will is free and that he wanted neither one nor the other: he had to do a choice. Using the gift of God known as freedom, he resolved to meet the challenge thirty-six times, and he did so twice.” (Voltaire 19) Perhaps he could have found a more creative way to avoid suffering, but at least for once he decided for himself. When he is in an initial state of confusion he complains: “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others like? I wouldn't complain if they had just flogged me: the Bulgarians flogged me too. But my dear Pangloss, the greatest of philosophers, was I to see you hanged, without knowing why? And my dear Anabaptist, the kindest of men, did you have to drown in the harbor? And Mrs. Cunegonda, the pearl of the ladies, did you have to break your belly? (Voltaire 29) Candide is asking all the right questions, at least, even though he still refers to Pangloss as the greatest of philosophers, the hero-worship that continues throughout much of the book, no matter how much he grows.realize the mistakes by Pangloss. When Candide encounters a different “wise man,” “Candide listened carefully to these remarks and conceived a high opinion of the orator (whom he had just met)… (thinking) what a great man. Another Pangloss!” (Voltaire 82) Part of Candide's problem is his propensity to rationalize that something is correct despite all evidence to the contrary. He argues that “pure nature is good, after all, for, instead of eating me, these people showered me with gentle kindness as soon as they discovered that I was not a Jesuit” (Voltaire 57). Aside from the fact that his reasoning is absurd and that Candide's naivety is undoubtedly exaggerated for comic effect, this type of behavior is highly problematic. The act of looking for a way to justify one's preconceived notions, much like sending test messages, and inserting one's belief system into every event that occurs, even when there is no basis for it, has been a common move among politicians and other corrupt leaders for centuries. Proudly refusing to abandon reality-defying beliefs and clinging to optimistic visions, leaving your head in the clouds, is an all-too-pervasive phenomenon that impedes real social progress. When the “nigger” talks about his situation, “'Oh Pangloss!' - exclaimed Candido. «This is an abomination you would never have imagined! It's too much: in the end I will have to give up your optimism... it's a mania of insisting that all is well when all is bad.'" (Voltaire 68-9) However he continues to return to Pangloss's ideas in times of crisis, demonstrating that even when he recognizes the futility of ideology, he cannot free himself from it, “despairing of being separated from a good master.” (Voltaire 69) He still exercises the unshakable optimism planted in his skull by Pangloss, even when he claims to be skeptical of it. of his philosophy. He says to his friend: "Since I have found you, I am sure that I will be able to find Cunegonde again." (Voltaire 74) If nothing else, Candide is admirably loyal, to a fault, but also tremendously short-sighted to Martin and remains skeptical of his skepticism, he nevertheless uses it as a sort of crutch to express his newfound dissatisfaction with the world without.