Voltaire was an important member of the Enlightenment movement in France, and of special significance was his eighteenth century work Candide. Using Candide for the purpose of illustration, this paper will examine what is meant by enlightened thought, and specifically

focus on the intellectual traditions represented by Candide and Dr. Pangloss, and the beliefs

and institutions criticized by Voltaire.

The Enlightenment and enlightened thought is often associated with eighteenth

century France, and how this way of thinking became a revolutionary force against the

Church. Enlightened thought is often seen as a combination of empiricism and rationalism

in which the basis of knowledge can be found in the formation of observations and pure

reason. In Candide, Voltaire used the character of Candide to embody the enlightened

perspective, as he is born into a feudal society and travels the world making observations and

reasoning about what he sees. In fact even the name “Candide” suggests that he says what

he thinks and hides nothing, despite what the noble teachings may be. “You could read his

character in his face. He combined sound

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