Leibnitz emphasized, in his Discours de Metaphysique (Discourse on Metaphysics) (1686) the role of a benevolent creator. He called the constituent components of the universe monads, and while the philosophy of monads is of little concern to readers of Candide, the conclusion which Leibnitz drew from these monads is crucial to an understanding of optimism. Leibnitz argued that all of these monads were linked in a complex chain of cause and effect and that this linking …
showed first 75 words of 1175 total

showed last 75 words of 1175 total
…group has accepted the pastoral lifestyle, and has found content, Pangloss the Optimist attempts to prove how all their prior misfortunes were part of the necessary chain of events for them to reach happiness. Voltaire paints Pangloss as the true dolt of optimism, never realizing the errors in his own logic. How does Candide respond, in closing, to his friend the Optimist? "That is very well put, said Candide, but we must cultivate our garden" (75).