Becoming familiar with the philosophical ideas of 18th-century Europe means understanding how writers of that era dealt with the unique philosophical problems—social, political, scientific, and religious—of the Enlightenment period. In the writings of Voltaire, one of the most virulent and categorical reformist philosophers of the Enlightenment, the story of Candide stands out as emblematic of the changes to philosophy specific to the 18th century. Published in 1759, Candide belongs to the format of the philosophical novel. In it, Voltaire parodies the progressive disillusionment of the main character, Candide, signifying an emerging rejection of optimism – notable in Leibniz's work – in a fast-paced plot that traces the main characters' struggle with events, such as the Seven Years' War. , as well as natural disasters, such as the devastating earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755. It also addresses head-on what is known in philosophical discourse as "the problem of evil", developed well before the Enlightenment by scholars religious 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 should not be banned”?Get an original essayIn terms of politics, the character of the honest Turk, who leads a mundane and dedicated life of simple work, represents both the work ethic and class position of many Enlightenment philosophers, including Voltaire. Yet even if we have other reasons to lead an active or luxurious political life, Candide's honest Turk is right: 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 seems somewhat surprising to the reader. Arguably, Voltaire uses it both to satirize the notions of monarchy, aristocracy, and 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 rule 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 like Denis Diderot and Baron Montesquieu became very disgusted with everything they stood for: cronyism, nepotism, meritless and, ultimately, worthy to be overthrown by democracy, transforming states into beacons of politically and socially liberal ideas. self-determination rather than monarchist rule. Furthermore, the honest Turk represents a character whose values, self-esteem and humility represent everything these Enlightenment philosophers thought possible, in terms of 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, several others around him repeat it almost verbatim with the same final sentence: “I have come to spend the carnival in Venice” (Voltaire, 1960,p. 84). In the company of several satirical monarchs (two from Poland, one from England and one from Corsica), they listen to the honest Turk tell his far-fetched story and mock him through their satire. However, the honest Turk, although he probably owns a vast estate, leads a simple, meager and virtuous life. Pillars that have become central to one of the concepts developed by Voltaire throughout the book: cultivating one's own garden, in effect symbolizing the reliability that comes from hard work and bearing the fruits of one's own labor and its surplus adulterated by nepotism and inheritance. During a conversation with Candide, the honest Turk replies that he leads an honest life, without vice. “I have no more than twenty acres of land, which I cultivate myself with the help of my children; and our work keeps us away from three great evils: idleness, vice and need” (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,” remarks Candide, “seems to me to have chosen for himself a lot preferable to that of the six kings with whom we had the honor of supping,” and that “we will have to take care of our garden.” , an apt metaphor that represents the value of hard work, regardless of political orientation, social status, or social class. The idea that hard work, merit, and dedication are apolitical may seem simple enough to the contemporary reader, but in the 18th century and the Age of Enlightenment, this idea would have been radical. 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 climb the ranks simply on the basis of merit, was very difficult to achieve in practice. sense. However, the idea that hard work and honesty counted toward merit was not something most European monarchs were willing to accept, until the wave of political upheaval in Europe begins to overthrow centuries of established political dynasties, starting with France. This idea that hard work and honesty are apolitical is also somewhat problematic, because it ignores the fact that Enlightenment thought, developed by Voltaire and others, was strongly opposed to aristocratic rule, despite the fact that What it emerged was a form of Enlightenment that allowed for monarchies to nevertheless remain in power to foster an environment of freedom of expression, increased social and political tolerance, and the right to private property. The main inspiration for enlightened monarchies – like that favored 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 been modified. Systems of financial ownership allowed the growth of the middle class, but the total abolition of serfdom across Europe was still far from complete and what monarchies did instead was to channel the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers into existing aristocratic political frameworks. The ideas apparently espoused by the Honest Turk, relayed by Candide, of tending one's own garden seem, at least on the surface, to reflect the appropriation of Enlightenment thought by monarchs for their own ends. This suggests that although it may seem apolitical to.