When we have the impulse to give in to our whims, whether or not we honor them is up to our “rational system’s” (Radiolab’s “Choice”) strength. Our capacity to maintain our logic through distractions greatly decides our fate. If our rational mind is trained, the more calculated our future is. We can decide our destiny if we are completely conscious of our choices. Temptation, then, as we have seen in Voltaire’s Candide, weakens the existence of free will by imposing emotions.
One example of a weakening logic are is the frequent ravishing Cunégonde and her maid, Abigail, experience throughout their war-filled past. Soldiers abstain from choosing during battle, but rather resolve to act based on instinct and emotion. There is no way they can restrain themselves when they are faced with temptation, because they haven’t practiced doing so. For instance, we see a barbarian who uses power to heed his whims: Don Fernando, governor of Buenos Aires (who “everyone who saluted him wanted to hit him” (58)) is as impulsive as can be, which we can see when he proposes to Cunégonde upon seeing her: He “declared his passion to her and swore that he would marry her the following day…” (59). Although they don’t know each other, he doesn’t hesitate to challenge her “escort”, Candide. Candide, being himself, suspects nothing and expects the governor’s complete honor and Cunégonde’s unconditional loyalty. Since this man’s power has protected him from his behavior’s effects, he has lost self-restraint and the conscience it entails.
Through these examples that Voltaire provides, we are proven that logic is a learned skill though time and practice. The absence of rational thinking results in unpredictable consequences, as I expect the Governor to experience upon his hypothetical marriage with Cunégonde.
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