The Folly of Optimism The Enlightenment period was a time of new ideas and philosophies. One of the philosophies to emerge from this period was Philosophical optimism. The theory revolved around causes and effects and the belief that we live in the “best of all possible worlds” and that everything happens for the best (Voltaire). Voltaire was an enlightenment writer/philosopher and he was largely influenced by both early enlightenment and the current enlightenment philosophers and writers of the
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comprehension is greater than settling for what is known to be realistic. Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s‚ The Great Gatsby is shown to be one of a few who possess this special quality by creating an entirely different image of himself and clinging to the hope of being reunited with the one he loves most despite what others believed. Through Gatsby’s optimism and hope‚ Fitzgerald illustrates his agreement that
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expectations for the future. To Sal‚ the novel is defined by youthful exuberance and unabashed optimism for the new experiences that he sets out to find. A deeper look into the novel‚ as well as a look at some of the critics who have written on it‚ reveals a much darker side‚ a more pessimistic and sad aspect that Sal simply fails to realize until the very close of the action. Whether Sal is hopped up on the optimism of jazz music‚ secure in his belief that he is off to find IT‚’ or just excited about
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Exploring Optimism In this paper hopefulness and optimism will be compared and contrasted and a review under what circumstances might optimism is harmful. Then the paper will explore defensive pessimism and under what circumstances might this be beneficial. So how is hopefulness and optimism related? Both terms are positive. Both terms are wonderful motivators. Hope is a dream and optimism makes the dream come true. Hopefulness is the emotion or feeling that keeps a person going and striving for
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Optimism as an Ideal Voltaire presents the character of the protagonist called "Candide: or‚ all for the Best" and "Candide: or‚ The Optimist." learns the principles of optimism from his teacher‚ Dr. Pngloss‚ who lives constantly in fools optimism‚ based on abstract philosophical argument rather than intangible evidence or experiment. However‚ In the chaotic world of the novel. Pangloss and his student Candide maintain that “everything is for the
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about everything. They believed this in hopes to make the world a better place to live. Voltaire is against such optimism‚ and believes that true joy can only be experienced in a world that doesn’t exist. In his book Candide‚ he uses anti-heroism as a satire against the philosophers of the enlightenment. I do not believe that Voltaire intends the reader to see the world with optimism‚ but rather pessimism. I will further explain why I believe the book draws attention to the horrific “ways of the
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Optimism as a Theme for Candide Just as on the title‚ Candide‚ or Optimism‚ Optimism is also used as a major theme. Voltaire’s satire of philosophical optimism is one of the major issues of Candide. Throughout the story‚ satirical references to "the best of all possible worlds" contrast with natural catastrophes and human wrongdoing. According to Wikipedia‚ "optimism‚ the opposite of pessimism‚ is a lifeview where the world is looked upon the as a positive place. Optimists generally believe that
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Keep your head Up What is optimism in the face of despair? Optimism is always seeing the positive things in life. If you’re an optimistic person‚ you will see a glass half full‚ rather than a glass half empty. Despair is loss of hope or hopelessness. So‚ optimism in the face of despair means to see the positive in something that seems so hopeless. Over the summer I read THE ROAR by Emma Clayton and THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton‚ which both fit the theme of optimism in the face of despair. The lesson
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Candide‚ Or Optimism: Voltaire A rosy outlook on life was the theme of Voltaire’s satire‚ Candide‚ Or Optimism. Rather than embracing a truly pessimistic approach to the world‚ Voltaire seems to argue a realistic and reasonable approach to life. The humorous look at optimism and pessimism‚ as well as politics‚ religion‚ war‚ chivalric but hopeless romance‚ and more‚ provides fuel for his fire. However‚ there was one character that stood out from all the humor and seemingly never-ending optimism. Candide
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Optimism and Health Optimism is something that we all use from time to time‚ it is hopefulness for a successful future and a good outcome. Optimism can let us down at times‚ especially when you have high expectations for something and it doesn’t quiet work out as you had hoped for. It is a positive mindset‚ which is good for an individual’s psychological health. Optimism is also believed to reduce health risks and lower stress levels. Optimism also effects an individual’s physical health in
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