Becoming familiar with the philosophical ideas of 18th-century Europe means understanding the ways in which writers of this period addressed unique philosophical problems: social , political, scientific and religious - of the Enlightenment period. In the writings of Voltaire, one of the most ardent and adamant reformist philosophers of the Enlightenment era, the story of Candide stands out as emblematic of changes in philosophy unique to the 18th century. Published in 1759, Candide belongs to the format of the philosophical novel. In it, Voltaire parodies the gradual disillusionment of the main character, Candide, which indicates an emerging rejection of optimism – notable in Leibniz's work – in a quickly moving plot that traces the main characters' struggle with events, such as the War of the Seven Years. , as well as natural disasters, such as the devastating earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755. It also addresses what in philosophical discourse is known as “the problem of evil,” developed well before the Enlightenment, by religious scholars and theologians such as Augustine, who positions atheism as a plausible explanation for the qualitative existence of evil in the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayIn terms of politics, the character of the honest Turk, who leads a worldly life dedicated to simple work, represents both the work ethic and class position of many Enlightenment philosophers, including Voltaire. Yet even if we have ulterior motives for pursuing an active or luxurious political life, the Honest Turk in Candide is right when he says that the most satisfying life is simple and apolitical. Despite the warning of Voltaire's Honest Turk, we are obliged to seek political change – to make a serious attempt at progress. The honest Turk is a displaced former Turkish sultan, Achmet III, whom Candide first meets in chapter 26. As a former sultan, his humble work ethic appears somewhat surprising to the reader. Arguably, Voltaire uses it both to satirize notions of monarchy, aristocracy, and the nepotism of 18th-century social and political life. According to Dorina Outram, state control in Europe in the 18th century had become centralized under several key monarchies: the reign of Louis XIV in France; Frederick the Great in Prussia; and the Habsburgs and Bourbons in Spain. With the emergence of Enlightenment thought, Voltaire and others such as Denis Diderot and Baron Montesquieu, became very disgusted with everything they stood for: cronyism, nepotism, without merit and, ultimately, worthy of being overthrown by democracy, turning states into beacons of politically and socially liberal ideas of self-determination, rather than monarchical rule. Furthermore, the honest Turk represents a character whose values, self-esteem, and humility represent everything these Enlightenment philosophers believed possible, regarding social and political transformation. If, as the Honest Turk embodied, monarchies could give way to systemic changes, based on modern liberal ideals of democracy, then society as a whole would be qualitatively better off. When Voltaire presents the Honest Turk, he does so with satire. Meeting the honest Turk at the Venice Carnival, the humble man reveals how he encountered unfortunate circumstances. After telling his story, many others around him repeat it almost verbatim with the same concluding sentence: “I come to spend the carnival in Venice” (Voltaire, 1960, p. 84). In the company of several satirical monarchs (two Polish, one English and one Corsican), they listen to the honest Turk as he describes his extravagant history and take him intoI tour through their satire. Yet, the honest Turk, despite presumably possessing a vast fortune, lives a simple, miserable and virtuous life. Pillars that have become central to one of the key concepts developed by Voltaire throughout the book: the cultivation of one's own garden, which symbolizes, in effect, the reliability that comes from hard work and from bearing the fruits of one's labor and surpluses adulterated by nepotism and inheritance. During a conversation with Candide, the Honest Turk replies that he lives an honest and vice-free life. “I have not more than twenty acres of land, all of which I cultivate myself with the help of my children; and our work keeps three great evils away from us: idleness, vice and poverty” (Voltaire, 1960, p. 90). Later, when Candide returns home with Pangloss and Martin, he comments on the truism of this way of thinking emblematic of the Honest Turk's life as philosophically right. “This good old man,” observes Candide, “seems to me to have chosen for himself a lot far preferable to that of the six kings with whom we have had the honor of dining,” and “that we must take care of our garden.” , an apt metaphor representing the value of hard work, regardless of political orientation, social position, or class. The idea that hard work, merit, and dedication are apolitical may seem simple enough to the contemporary reader, but during the 18th century and the Enlightenment this would have been a radical idea. The entire social and political fabric of Europe, before the 18th century, was built along the lines of family and papal dynasties. Religion and monarchy went hand in hand. Those who ruled Europe did so knowing that it was through a patchwork of alliances and intermarriages that kept the great aristocracy in check, and that the idea that one could rise through the ranks, simply on the basis of merit, was very difficult to achieve in any practice. sense. However, the idea that hard work and honesty were factors of merit was not something that most European monarchs were willing to accept, until the wave of political upheavals in Europe began to overthrow centuries of established political dynasties , starting with France. The idea that hard work and honesty are apolitical is also somewhat problematic, because it ignores the fact that Enlightenment thinking, developed by Voltaire and others, was staunchly opposed to aristocratic rule, despite the fact that what emerged was a form of Enlightenment that allowed monarchies to remain in power, promote an environment of free speech, greater social and political tolerance, and the right to private property. The main inspiration behind enlightened monarchies – such as that promoted by Catherine the Great – was nothing less than a watered-down version of what the honest Turk embodied. Even if in some respects the administrations have changed. Property financial systems allowed to develop among the middle class, were still far from the total abolition of serfdom across Europe and what monarchies did instead was channel the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers into existing aristocratic political frameworks. The idea apparently embraced by the Honest Turk, reported by Candide, of tending one's garden seems, at least on the surface, to reflect the appropriation of Enlightenment thought by monarchs for their own ends. This would suggest that, although it may seem apolitical to devote oneself to toiling on a simple and laborious level, ultimately even in this act there is a willful ignorance that is certainly far from indifferent towards politics. Instead, it seems that what Voltaire is saying is that we are all responsible for the manifestation of our own.