Voltaire and Rousseau are two of the most famous great French philosophies, however they never shared their greatness, they practically hated each other. Critics of their time, found it hard to even envision the urbane and suave Voltaire and radically democratic Rousseau ever seeing eye to eye on much. However by reading their works I think they share more values than their liked to acknowledge. Voltaire believed through out education and reason man could separate himself from the beast, while Rousseau thought that it was all this that made men "unnatural" and corrupted. That is clearly seen in their writings. .
Voltaire's Candide is an example of Voltaire's view on education. For example his character, Pangloss (who is not a real character since Candide is fiction and characters are based on ideas) was very educated and professed on philosophy of undiluted optimism stating that this is the best of all possible worlds, and that everything is for the best. Pangloss is the satire to concept that the world is predetermined harmony and that evil exist only to highlight good. Voltaire criticize this by saying if this is the best of all possible worlds, then why should any one try to alleviate suffering? This point made supports Rousseau view on education and it is consequences. At the end of Candide the series of misfortunes that befall him serve as a re-education via direct experience with the world. Candide's actual experiences in the real world directly contradict Pangloss optimism. Instead the world is a terrible place full of evil, cruelty and suffering. .
Another difference between the poets was the use of Oreillons in Candide, which functions as a criticism of Rousseau philosophy. Rousseau viewed man as a naturally good. He accused the institutions of human civilizations, such as property and commerce, of corrupting mans natural tendency to good. Rousseau's best known theory is that of the "natural man" or the " noble savage" Rousseau held that in a state of nature human beings are good because they are ignored of vice.
