The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast PREMIUM-Episode 62: Voltaire’s Novel “Candide”
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Sep 5, 2012 AI Snips
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Satire of Optimism Philosophy
- Voltaire's Candide satirizes Leibniz's optimistic philosophy that this is the best of all possible worlds.
- The novel exposes the disconnect between rationalist optimism and the harsh realities of human suffering.
Leibniz's Philosophical Calculus
- Leibniz believed the whole universe is a perfect extremum despite individual evils.
- This mirrors calculus ideas where infinite parts sum to a perfect whole.
Voltaire's Practical Philosophy
- Voltaire rejects metaphysics as intellectually pointless and irrelevant to morality.
- He focuses on practical action over abstract theorizing to improve life and society.