Voltaire'in Zadig, Micromegas, Candide adlı yapıtlarında yolculuğun işlevi
Özet
This study tries to tell the function of journey in Zadig, Micromégas and Candide, the works penned by famous writer and philosopher Voltaire who gave the century his name. In his works, Voltaire portrays a very realistic face of evil while telling his journeys which he started in search for happiness. He sarcastically pinpoints the causes and results of everlasting evil as well as stressing how intolerance and bigotry reify people. Basing his works on his life, Voltaire reveals the bigotry of his society and underlines that the reason for bigotry is man?s failure in using his mind.Voltaire claims that the problem of evil which is grounded on religious reasons results from man, indeed. Therefore, man can reach happiness under the guidance of wisdom and conscious. Throughout the journeys for ideal society and happiness, Voltaire either depicts a corrupt society where evil has shown all its faces or creates imaginary worlds to tell that happiness is not far away from man. Similar to Leibniz, Voltaire reveals that we do not live in the best of the worlds. He shows his liberal views to people by stressing that evil originates from man?s unbelievable stupidity, cruelty and oblivion. Underlining that common happiness is a must for an ideal society; Voltaire states that this can be achieved through smart and conscious people. Moreover, he asserts that thanks to tolerance, virtue and knowledge, evils will be silenced as horrible scenes will be replaced by a livable society.Fighting against all the obstacles against man?s happiness through his liberal views, Voltaire regards human mind as the most effective weapon against evil in Zadig, Micromégas and Candide. And his journeys for happiness provide a rational transition from the unknown to the known.