Voltaire and Machiavelli The novel, Candide, by Voltaire, is a scathing, satirical criticism of the world. It is a product of possibly the greatest philosopher of the Enlightenment. The novel examines many aspects of the world, which Voltaire found to be troublesome. These different aspects include everything from philosophy to slavery. The first attack of the book is an attack on ideas. Philosophical optimism is derided in the form of a philosopher named Pangloss, who from the first page espouses the belief that this is the best possible world that we live in, and there could be no better. Throughout the book, nothing but horrible atrocities occur, and th