theories or common sense?

Candide seems to be a man who just "goes with the flow" in life. This can be viewed with many different opinions. They just depend on your personal aspects, and how you have been brought up and raised in your family. Candide does not voice out his opinion unless in danger, this can be a smart idea depending on the situation. In chapter 2, Candide is put into the military. When this happened, he did not argue or try to get out of it like most men would; instead, he just joined and tried to get out as soon as possible. After that, Candide runs into a conflict where he must choose whether to be executed or tortured. In this instance, he chooses to voice out his opinion and try to save his hide. This does not work out as effectively as he wished, but fortunately, he was saved by the king of Bulgars, who showed him pity and let him go as long as he served in their army. once again, Candide just follows through.

Not only does Candide just flow through his life, he also follows the advice of any who is wise enough to provide it. In the novel, Candide, Voltaire shows the effectiveness of following theories. "[t]here is no effect without a cause," is the theory Pangloss tells Candide before he goes off into the war. Candide follows this theory throughout his journey. I personally wonder, "Was this a smart thing to do?" Theories are just hypothesis' that have not been proven. To follow an idea that has not been proven, and to apply it to your life may not be the smartest thing to do; although, this theory seemed to work for Candide. The theory he chose to follow was based on common sense. This allowed him to follow it without risking very much. If you choose to follow theories like this one, then it wont cause a problem; but if you choose to follow theories that have no way to be proven unless by experience, then you choose to risk whatever is present.