How does Voltaire's Candide exemplify the ideas of the Enlightenment?

Whilehad
many of the philosophical credentials of his fellow Enlightenment philosophersnamely, a belief
in the power of reason, the importance of independent thought, and the rejection of religion as
the sole bearer of truthhis perspective was somewhat less rosy. In ,
Voltaire fleshes out his unique, and somewhat more pessimistic, perspective on human
nature through the use of cutting .

Optimism was central to Enlightenment
thinking, as philosophers believed that happiness could be achieved through human thought and
action. In other words, the goal of life was not to achieve happiness on another plane but
rather to achieve happiness in the present. Voltaire's Candide undermines
that idea entirely though the satirical character of Pangloss, the optimistic
philosopher.

Many Enlightenment thinkers believed that society should be
governed by the "general will" of the people, usually through direct democracy. In
Candide, Voltaire creates characters who are generally...