LIsbon
The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and CandideIn 1755, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale occurred in Lisbon, Portugal, changing European history and philosophy. But how does one geologic event trigger a paradigm shift from naturalism to liberalism Naturalism unites with rationalism during the Age of Enlightenment, a philosophical movement during the 18th century, which rejects traditional social, religious and political ideas with an emphasis on rationalism. People believe in a world, which follows logical rules, where reason can be used to discover and implement a perfect society. The earthquake in Lisbon shook the very foundation of their beliefs. The Age of Enlightenment or Age of Reason is characterized with a belief in natural law, universal order and the confidence of human reason in the 18th century. Organized religions like Christianity became the enemies of the "enlightened ones" and Voltaire created the slogan, Erasez I'infame!, meaning "Wipe it out! Wipe out the infamous thing!" i.e. the church of the old order. His influence popularized the ideals of the age. In Candide, Voltaire expresses his philosophy through his characters that embody different ideals of Enlightenment. For example, Candide repr
The quake destroyed all institutes of reason such as the recorded history of Portugal and the hospital (medical science) burning. Whether it is called the Age of Romanticism or the Age of Revolution of the Age of Liberalism, the Age of Enlightenment came ended. esents the ludicracy of total optimism. The cultural paradigm shift in the late 18th century was from a naturalistic philosophy to the Age of Romanticism and the Age of Revolution. Hence, people turned towards religion to answer their questions. All things happen because of his mysterious ways and a simple man can not believe they can start to understand God's mind. Instead, would not he have spared all the churches as proof of his divinity?The paradigm shifted in 1789 to a more liberating view of life. The two earthquakes did not make the same cultural impact because the mindsets of the people were different. He comments on the ridiculous institute of religion as being irrational and illogical in dealing with the way the world works. Ironically, all the churches in Lisbon were destroyed by the quake, so if one were to argue about God's divine will would they say he wanted to destroy his places of worship. The superstitious beliefs the people held came into play after the disaster. It is amazing to see how one single geologic event, that is completely unavoidable, can change history and shift the cultural paradigm. Also, the candles that were burning at the time started a huge fire that destroyed the cultural treasures of Portugal. These issues resulted in the total rejection of the natural laws stating the superiority of groups and a mediocre lifestyle. Voltaire ends the novel with a happy conclusion, perhaps stating that through optimism all things can be overcome using rational thinking.
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