Candide Final Project

Jessica Cadwell English
Final Candide Project Choice 6
The concept of theodicy can be supported and rejected in various ways. Theodicy itself is a type of defense or justification of God’s goodness and justice against evil. But how can we believe that God is there to protect us, and how can we believe the opposite, that God is nonexistent in the affairs of evil? Maybe it is not God’s purpose to prevent and fight evil; that responsibility may lie in our own hands.
In order to develop our own ideas about the concept of theodicy, looking at where evil originates is key. There are many different views on the origins such as evil exists merely as an opposite to God. Evil may be an absence of God’s presence, or maybe evil exists as a way to trial people living in a world abundant with temptation and vice. These ideas center on the key role of God, but what if God has nothing to do with the existence of evil? Evil exists when people have nothing to believe in, they choose to not follow moral standards or live to make the world a better place. This relates to the book Candide. More specifically, the impact of Pangloss’s philosophy that “all is for the best”. This philosophy prevented people from taking any action against injustice or the general terrible aspects of the world. Evil may exist because people do not take enough action to fight injustices. Maybe the problem that is inherent in this is that people depend on God to create a miracle and save them from evil, and that hope prevents them from taking the risk to fight against it themselves.
Another question to ask is whether or not there is always retribution for evil acts? This is a solid argument against the concept of theodicy. In this idea, God exists to bring justice against evil, but looking at our own world some people get away with their misdeeds. And sometimes even if a good event comes, it could equate to something unfortunate for others. There is a prime example in the book. It is when the Dutch skipper’s boat is sunken in battle and Candide recovers a sheep. Candide believes that the skipper has received his punishment as a sort of karma for stealing his sheep. But Martin asks whether it was just that others had to lose their lives as well for the punishment towards the skipper. (pg. 53) Life is not always fair and doesn’t always balance out accordingly. So is it right to support the concept that God is always good and just in the face of evil? God is not as relevant as other things when truly examining the battles between good and evil. What is most important is personal responsibility to not soil the world with their attractions to greed and war. Evil exists because people have the free will to make the wrong decisions. So the state of both good and evil is up to man and a belief in important ideals to follow is a necessary backup to the balance.
Up to this point a stress has been put upon the idea that God should not be viewed as playing a key role against evil. But for arguments sake, what if God is key, what would His intention be with the state of evil. Maybe He created, or let evil be as a way to test all people and show where their own true intentions and heart lie. God may let evil exist to show an obvious contrast betweens the things that are good and bad. For example, an ill-mannered person will be viewed much lower than a person who chooses to treat others with kindness. An example in Candide would be all of the societies he’s been in versus El Dorado. He had human waste dumped on him for not viewing the pope as antichrist in one place (pg.6), been conned out of money in Paris (pg.56), and endured the pursuit of many groups of people. In El Dorado kindness was commonplace, they were not tainted by the follies of the outside world, and were more concerned with being hospitable than anything else. This open and free society was the example of a place full of good against a world filled with evil and despair. Knowing the difference between good and evil is important in learning how to lead your life.
The concept of theodicy entails a large role of God’s position against evil. But what limits people and let’s evil grow is a dependence on God to solve all displays of terrible situations where evil is abundant. Personal responsibility to know the difference between right and wrong, to know how to follow your own personal beliefs, and to fight against something that you consider unjust. Problems don’t solve themselves, and that is the entire idea of Candide. A positive outlook that even bad situations will eventually lead to the best outcome is a lazy way to avoid dealing with the evil in the world. If evil were to be accurately addressed instead of ignored, there would be a lot less of it. The state of the world isn’t up to God; it’s up to the people who inhabit it.