Voltaire's View of War
In Candide or Optimism, Voltaire demonstrates a somewhat unique conception of war for his time, and manages to do so with something of a regard for humor. Throughout the book, Voltaire points to the oddities of war from all angles. He exposes the worthlessness of concepts such as honor and glory on the battlefield itself, he indicates that the causes of war are never sufficient, and that the leaders themselves are nothing without their armies or their empires. Voltaire is clearly of the opinion that war is a useless effort, but he does not give any indication as to what the limits of his point may be. The politics in Candide or Optimism are very petty, and merely make for a beginning to his case, and do not test its limits. The world Voltaire lived in was not the greatest supporter of what is known now as human rights. While modern in language and reason perhaps, the practices of the time were anything but contemporary. Military enlistment, for exa
6), see the crime in punishing Candide so brutally for a crime he did not understand. 7) Voltaire drags through Candide's awful experience through the battlefield and surrounding town, making note of the constant display of flesh and agony. As Candide was to receive a brutal punishment for wandering off without permission, he understood that ignorance of the law was not an excuse for breaking it. No time to adjust to his new life was offered or could have been expected, and Candide managed to make a case of this early on. The greatness of honor, chivalry, and heroism taught and glorified by the powers that be, seemed pale next to the realities the battle brought to bear. Kings on either side of the battle led hymns of triumph, congratulating their soldiers, even though the Bulgarians were the ones who had gained a town. This was all to be expected, as the village had been burned in accordance with international law. 5), and with that he was in the army. 7) of all those wounded in the "heroic butchery. Battle itself seemed to be a matter of question to Voltaire. They said to him that "that is sufficient"(p. Candide, for example, fell victim to such a hoax towards the beginning of his travels when meeting up with men at an inn. Voltaire makes an obvious point of the "heaps of dead and dieing men," as well as the "dieing agonies"(p.
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