Candide and Pope's Essay on Man -- Reactions to Social Changes

For every social change there is a reaction, either for, against, or somewhere in the middle. Responses to the humanist liberation of individuals and ideas, especially in the middle class, were positive. The image of the middle class as a collective unit was shattered by the introduction of inquiry and reason. It was an emulsification, not only of each person, but also of the presupposed knowledge.  Everything that had been taken for granted, as universal truths had been turned on its head. This was seen by some as an exciting new opportunity, a liberation from the chains of the old authority of monopolized knowledge. But not all responses had quite as positive an outlook. This changing of solidified truth was chaos. It was disturbing the order of the cosmos and the world and  the society. As the Pope says in his Essay on Man it was the questioning of the power  of God, of a power beyond human capacity.

The Essay on Man approaches a problem brought about by the Enlightenment: this idea that there is a need to inquire into pre-established notions and question the pre-established order of the world. The pope is outraged by the use of reason because it is a disrespect to God's plan. This enlightenment movement involves a distrust in God where human's find the need to question God's plan and try to uncover some sort of knowledge beyond what we as humans can handle. The Pope advises that we keep to our duties as humans, a status not equivalent to God, and don't meddle in the "perfection" of the God's will. It is unnecessary to inquire too much because whatever happens is what God wanted to happen. It is beyond us to understand why. It was almost a bit modern in a "what happens, happens" sort of way. In the right context it could've been seen as soothing or calming in that in life, sometimes it goes happily and sometimes it goes sour but we just have to know it is going to be okay in the grand scheme of things. But on the other hand, it can be seen as passive; we want something more, a control over our destiny, a knowledge that everything we do isn't futile and that we aren't just small pieces in a picture beyond our perspective. Voltaire falls in this latter category. He is not keen on this idea that everything that happen is just dandy.  

And , in this chain of reactions to social changes,Voltaire had a satirical response to the Pope and God's perfect plan. It was a bit of a straw-man argument in that he satirizes a  mis-characterization of the Pope's meaning. He satirizes the idea that all things that happen in the world are inherently good because they are God's will. He exaggerates this by all sorts of horrible things happen to Candide and the people he meets in his adventure but the seriousness of these events is never recognized by any of the character. Voltaire is poking at the idea that not all things are good and  the Pope cannot just wipe a broad stroke over everything and call all things good under God's will. Both of the main women characters, Cunegonde and the old woman suffer through rape, or sexual  assault, or abuse of one sort or another and no one is ever appalled or even really phased. These are clearly not good things and it is not alright to gloss over them with the passing words "it is all good and in God's plan". But this is where Voltaire was satirizes a mis-characterized argument. The pope is not saying every action and event is good, but of course, some actions are bad or unpleasant or even horrible, but in the grander picture, in God's picture, there is only perfection.

But Voltaire comes back to his main frustration with there is no drive for an individual if they do not have some sort of control over their own life. He ends with the cultivation of the garden. All of the characters end in a contented life. They have chosen their path and our literally cultivating their own life: their well-being and happiness. But their perspectives are narrow and they are contented only on the small scale of their garden home. Candide and friends are in control but only because they have shrunk their sphere of being. It is ironic in that Voltaire almost agrees with the Pope in that Candide and his friends settle down in a quiet, mildly fulfilling life where they do not push boundaries or perspectives.  The Pope in Essay on Man encourage humans to perform their humanly duties, stay in their realm of being, and do not reason or inquire because those actions are in the territory of God. And then Voltaire ends with the main characters staying in their human spheres without a real purpose or drive behind their actions. Candide and his friends have become the epitome of the human ideal according the Essay on Man; they do not challenge perspective and they do not wish for more than what they have.