I realize it’s satire, but…That’s not optimism, that’s idiocy.
All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. Pangloss, wasn’t it? It’s been ages since I read Voltaire.
Try his Micromegas also, about an alien visiting Earth.
Micromegas online.
Quite possibly Voltaire’s point.
But not all optimisim is idiocy. And not all optimism is rock-stupid, either.
Speaks the eternal optimist.
Pangloss is supposed to be an idiot.
It’s been a while for me as well, but isn’t the point of the book to contrast Pangloss’ academic theories of progress and optimism with the more grounded “we must tend our garden” philosophy Candide expounds at the end?
I very much enjoyed Candide when I read it many years back. When asked what it is about it I liked, I find it hard to pin-point. But it is one I would highly recomend to anyone looking for a thoughtful read.
Yes. But it’s like setting up a cockroach and a brilliant monarch butterfly and asking you - which do you like better*? Pangloss is not realistic, unless Voltaire routinely met [del]idiots[/del] optimists of that caliber, you know? It’s a totally unfair comparison.
*And I just know someone is going to come along and extoll the virtues of the cockroach. Regardless, my point still stands.
A little background might help.
I read Candide not too long ago and loved it. I was laughing out loud at several parts, drawing odd looks from my coworkers. (Luckily, they’re as used to giving me such odd looks as I am to recieving them.)
It was clearly written by a clever person, but I didn’t look for an overarching point to it all. I just enjoyed the absurdity and wit. (I did have the feeling that I would get more out of the story if I knew more about Voltaire, but I don’t think any knowledge of him or his time is required to enjoy the story.)
I am more than amused by these comments from your link:
(I am going to add this to my curriculum vitae without further ado. See also Pad Your Resume.)
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Incidentally I always thought that Voltaire satirised Rousseau as well as Leibniz in Candide.
A convincing argument can be made that Voltaire satirized Rousseau using Martin.
Cockroaches perform a vital function in many ecosystems by consuming dead plant matter. Monarch butterflies? When the fuck have they ever done anything useful?
So you’re saying that it’s idiotic satire? That’s a new one for me. I’d like to know a little more about this new genre which you’ve discovered.
The thing is, satire doesn’t have to follow any logical rules. Voltaire seems to be trying to make a philosophical point, but while using the illogic of satire to make his point, he still seems to want the same kind of respect that readers would give logical arguments against optimism. That’s what bothered me about Candide.
Why must satire be necessarily illogical? In fact, most satire has an underlying logic to it. Otherwise, nobody would understand it.
It seems to me that Candide relates to blind optimism, and not all optimism in general. You know, like we’re “turning the corner” in Iraq.
As far as I remember, Voltaire wasn’t satirizing optimism in general in “Candide”, but a particular theological and philosophical school of thought that was widespread at this time, according to which God had created the best possible world and all events concurred to the best possible outcome, according to God’s plans. See the mention above of the bay of Lisbon created specifically so that someone would drown.
Yup, Chez Guevara’s link made that eminently clear. Thanks! I did read the introduction in the book, but it only mentioned general optimism, and not the specifics.
I only came back into this thread to say I am currently watching Leonard Bernstein’s Candided opera and wow, what a laugh riot! I recommend this for sure - absolutely fall-down funny, and lots of orchestra/conductor interaction.
I particularly admire the conductor. I started a thread some time ago, entitled Musicians, please tell me what conductors actually do And the answers in the thread helped me gain a better perspective on it. This particular one is so into it…you can see how passionate she is, and yet she’s having so much fun.
You have my sympathy.