The basic principles of the "comedy of ideas" presented in Candide, takes place as high comedy and reflects on them central to Voltaire’s concept of optimism. Optimism is the state in which the attitude or viewpoint on situations or events is hopeful even when the circumstances are not in ones favor. Optimism is contrasted against pessimism; Voltaire focuses on this idea of pessimistic view of the world. Voltaire portrays these views as ludacris, which in turn is humorous. Voltaire distorts real ideas and makes fun of them. In "Candide," Pangloss who is Candide’s mentor and philosopher, represents Voltaire’s attack on philosophical optimism. Pangloss represents the ideas of G.W. von Leibniz, an Enlightenment thinker. Voltaire considered Leibniz premise to be illogical because Leibniz was a Christian who believed in a God; however, Voltaire is an atheist and believes God is the first illusion. Voltaire makes you question that if God is a perfect being, his creation should be perfect. How can a perfect being create something imperfect? Voltaire ridicules the whole notion of logic that begins with God. Voltaire is interested in the consequences of believing in a perfect world. Which leads to his idea that whatever happens has intended to happen. Therefore, hands off, this is the way the world is intended to operate. One example of Voltaire’s attack on optimism is revealed through Pangloss’s philosophy. Despite the sufferings Pangloss goes encounters throughout the novel he does not lose his optimistic outlook on life. For instance, he is nearly destroyed by syphilis, nearly dissected, almost hung, and imprisoned but his philosophical views do not change. Pangloss admits that he has difficulty believing in his own standpoint on optimism yet he continues to be optimistic until the end of the novel. Another example of optimism portrayed in "Candide" is the old woman telling her story about rape, slavery, and cannibalism. “I