ld they were living in at that time was "the best of all possible worlds." Leibniz's optimism displays the philosophical system that believed everything already was for the best, no matter how terrible the circumstances seemed. Through Candide, Voltaire showed the world full of natural disasters and brutality. Voltaire also used contrast in the personalities of the characters to convey the message that Leibniz's philosophy was incorrect. Leibniz's philosophies were based on the idea that everything in the world was determined by fate, theorized that God, having the ability to pick from an infinite number of worlds, chose this world, "the best of all possible worlds." Although Voltaire chose that simple quality of Leibniz's philosophy to satirize, Leibniz meant a little more than just that. His philosophy stated that God chose "the best of all possible worlds," he also meant that God, being the perfection He is, chose the best world available to him, unfortunately it was a world containing evil. Voltaire satirized this literal meaning of Leibniz's philosophy by creating the character Dr. Pangloss, an unconditional follower of Leibniz's philosophy. Voltaire shows this early in the novel by stating, "He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause and that, in this best of all possible worlds.... (16)" Pangloss goes on to say that everything had its purpose and things were made for the best. For example, the nose was created for the purpose of wearing spectacles (Voltaire 16). Because of his "gre
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