"Do you think," said Martin, "that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could find them?"
"Of course I do," said Candide.
"Well," said Martin, "if hawks have always had the same character, why should you suppose that men have changed theirs?"
"Oh, but there's a great difference," said Candide, "for Free Will..."
Free will is literally defined as the power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances. It is evident that Martin does not believe in free will. He finds no distinction between animals and humans. Martins pessimistic outlook shows that he has always seen the evil in man rather than the good. However Candide believes that what keeps animals and humans separate is free will. A mans ability to make his own decisions and decide his own fate.
So if humans posses the power of free will, then why, throughout Candide, does Voltaire provide the reoccurring theme of an evil man? In comparison, Voltaire shows his utopia through Eldorado. Why is the free will of the people different and how has that made their society different?
Lastly, I think Voltaire specifically brings in free will because it is ultimately related to the conclusion of the book. "we must go and work in the garden." If men came together and used their free will to work on the common good of the society rather than their individual fulfillment, progress in the "garden" would be much more extreme and rapid. But can another change someones free will?
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I enjoyed this conversation between Candide and Martin. It shows us how truly optimistic Candide is, and how pessimistic Martin is. Candide makes a a good point when he says that "free will" is the reason why men do not go through life doing what others tell them to. This is the greatest gift we humans have.. (free will, freedom of speech, etc.) Unfortunately for the pigeon, he had no say on whether or not he wanted to be the hawk's lunch.. and that's the difference between man and animal. Some say we come from animals, but that doesn't mean we have to act like them.
ReplyDeleteI think Voltaire provides the reoccurring theme of an evil man because that was his way to balance out the book. In reality there is evil.. whether we want to believe it or not. This world isn't perfect by any means.. and it doesn't seem like it was perfect during Voltaire's time either.
The thought that Martin has, "Hawks have always eaten Pigeons" and the last question can someone else change our free will. Candide and Pangloss would probably argue that it is what it is and it happened for some reason. Say if Pigeons are no longer alive then Hawks have to change it's prey or die. The Hawk still has a choice and free will but not the one it had before. Free will always exists but it may also have its consequences.
ReplyDeleteSome societies are different and people will work for the common good, but how long did it take. For everyone to work for the common good it took a lot of pain and suffering. It also took Candide to reach his final goal of Cunegonde. People are not going to work in the garden until individually they are satisfied. Each character that works in the house has become satisfied in their life from either pain or reaching his goal. Do you think Candide would work in the Garden if he was still looking for Cunegonde?
I think Voltaire has this evil undertone because humans are inherently evil and selfish. To quote Pangloss "everything was made for a purpose" (20), because this mindset is essentially a survival mechanism. Voltaire is saying that benevolence and selflessness will not survive, and he personafies this with the death of James the anababtist, who is one of the only truly good-hearted characters.
ReplyDeleteAs for El Dorado, this is a perfect utopia (in Voltaire's mind) because there is no need for greed and evil. This is because this place has so much wealth, every citizen can have what ever they want already. I took this city as a rather sharp commentary, and some what pessimistic view of humanity by Voltaire. He is essentially saying the only thing that can make people truly happy is inordinate amounts of wealth.
I think Voltaire uses the theme of an evil man to contrast Candide. Candide in the story shows the very best of human nature. The city shows that everyone working for the common good isn't the most satisfying for everyone in reality. It is a contrast that money can buy happiness because everyone can do what they want to do. Then it becomes a pesstimistic view because the people can only work in the garden once they have accomplished something before to make them really happy.
ReplyDeleteI think Haley has hit on one of the big BIG questions for Voltaire and people of his time: what are we supposed to do with this free will thing? Clearly we have it, represented by Eve, Adam, and the Apple they would say, but if that's the case is God somehow not in charge? And if God is not in charge, how can Pangloss speak of this "best of all possible worlds"? It's a real conundrum for the enlightenment luminaries.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brad that the evil undertone is there to portray human ability to be selfish and not good. And I like the irony of El Dorado being a utopia that's evil free. I also agree that "for the good of the society" isn't always just for society, but driven by alterior motives, such as Candide in the garden. Free will is there for anyone but it also rests on the right and wrong theory as well. Ofcourse we have free will to technically do whatever we physically want to. But consequences prevent it. Would we all love to leave school for our dream professions without having to learn or do work? Yes, and we could drop out, but we don't because we want to make it. (Alterior motive) We know we need to be here in order to succeed. Our free will is still within reason.
ReplyDeleteno one can change someone's free will. yes, if we all came together and used our free will for something good rather then for our own, we would have better and faster results. the chances of this actually happening though is slim to none. no matter what people will do what ever they want whenever they want no one's opinion will ever change that
ReplyDeleteI think that Voltaire feels that we are more evil than good because ultimately all the bad things that have happened in the world have been cause by man. When it comes to free will, I think someone can change our free will. Not exactly someone's free will, but someone can change the way another can view life. The different perspective on life can change someone's free will and encourage them to either do more good or do more bad.
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