Comparing Bayle's Paulicians And Candide: A Comparative Analysis

Evil, how did it happen and why is it still here on this earth? There is this belief that the Christian God is good and all-powerful. He has the power to create worlds and beings, yet there is still evil in the world. Both Pierre Bayle and Voltaire address these questions in their works “Paulicians” and Candide (respectively). They both believe the Manichean philosophy as a more rational thought process than the contemporaneous Christian view. This belief is that there is not one, but two gods in the world; a god of good and a god of evil. I myself believe in a world of balance and like the two authors listed above, accept this as more rational thought than a single omnipotent god. My reasoning is that without evil, there is no concept of good,
He begins to ponder and tear at the origin of evil. He asks “where did it from”, “why is it still allowed? Bayle acknowledges that God is supposed to be wholly good and powerful. However, despites god’s power and goodness, god has allowed evil to run free. Bayle addresses in this essay the questions the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus brought to light. Epicurus states that God is either “willing to remove evil and cannot; or he can and is unwilling; … or else he is both willing and able” (Bayle p 169). However, these options bring to light an idea that is not so comfortable about God. If he is willing to remove evil but can’t to address the problem of evil, then God is not all powerful. If he can and is unwilling, then he is not good, for whom that is good would want to put his children through the trials of evil? Bayle suggests that if God is willing and able to remove evil, then why does he not remove it? In the story Candide, Voltaire agrees with the Manichean view and shows it through his writing. There are several instances where a God of Good is present in Candide’s life, and then the God of Evil interferes