"Candide" and the Enlightenment

Out of severe poverty, oppressive monarchies, and religious persecution came a radical philosophical revolution known as The Enlightenment. This Age of Reason swept through Europe, offering differing views on science, religion, and politics. France was particularly affected by the ideas produced during the Enlightenment, by means of many great philosophers, such as Rousseau, Descartes, and Voltaire. Voltaire wrote one of the most influential and renowned novels during this period, that challenged not only political paradigm, but social institutions as well. In the novel "Candide", the fam…