Philosophy discussion

I was surprised by the very low average rating of Candide by Voltaire. It struck me and, as an author, even frightened me. I think this judgment is unfair, but perhaps it is simply a sign of the times. This is a cruel book, and we live in an age in which the cynical humor with which Candide is portrayed has gone out of fashion. Perhaps we are searching for Pangloss’s reassuring answers and looking for a master to whom we can entrust our lives, someone capable of guaranteeing us “the best of all possible worlds.”

Candide was the first book by Voltaire that I ever read. It made me fall in love with him. It taught me that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds, that I am not forced to blindly believe the words of a German philosophy teacher, and that the world is full of Panglosses hunting for gullible people.

To publish it, Voltaire showed tremendous courage: he even managed to infuriate the Church. The book was immediately placed on the Index of prohibited books by the Inquisition and banned in twenty countries. It survived censorship to teach us to oppose those who use authority to suppress knowledge and control it. Today more than ever, it should be read. What do you think?

I haven't read it in decades, but I certainly remember it as a great book. There were over 8,000 one star reviews. Can't figure that out.