Drawing from the passage, describe what you see as Voltaire's vision of human nature in Candide.In particular, consider his stance on original sin,...

In this satirical piece, the ridiculous nature of man is
exposed.  The philosophy Pangloss teaches Candide is that whatever happens, it is all
for the best, and whatever happens, it is the "best of all possible worlds."  Things
exist or occur for a reason, and we must do the best we can as there is nothing that
could be better than what is.  Pangloss' foolishness is exhibited with statements like,
'We have legs because we have trousers; without trousers, we would have no need of
legs.'

Pangloss' philosophy preaches predestination: man
has no choice; all is ordained before he is born.  In this case, original sin was
planned and could not have been avoided as Adam and Eve had no choice in the garden; it
was all mapped out for them.

In terms of the human capacity
for reason, Voltaire seems to be saying that man can learn, but it generally takes
several swift kicks before people "get" it.  This is seen with Candide.  So many
terrible hardships beset him and he still believes it is all for the best.  It takes a
long time for Candide to start to question Pangloss' ludicrous
precepts.

Voltaire's sense that humanity can reform is
closely tied to the human capacity for reason.  It is not until the individual can think
clearly on his own, refusing to be controlled and led by what the masses think, that
humanity can reform.  It is not a simple task, and one will experience great challenges
of belief before coming to the realization that optimism does not create a realistic
basis for perceiving the world.  Individuals must learn to think for themselves to truly
achieve all that humanity is capable of.  Without this change, what is
truly the "best of all possible worlds" cannot be
realized.