Candide came into being largely because of Voltaire's great dissatisfaction with the explanation for the problem of evil and human suffering provided by the philosophers of his day. Published in 1759 when Voltaire was 65, Candide was a direct attack on the school of optimism championed by German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz and English poet Alexander Pope and popularized in the adventure and romance novels of the period. Optimism, Voltaire's young hero, Candide, asserts, is "the mania for asserting that all is well when ...
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Candide came into being largely because of Voltaire's great dissatisfaction with the explanation for the problem of evil and human suffering provided by the philosophers of his day. Published in 1759 when Voltaire was 65, Candide was a direct attack on the school of optimism championed by German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz and English poet Alexander Pope and popularized in the adventure and romance novels of the period. Optimism, Voltaire's young hero, Candide, asserts, is "the mania for asserting that all is well when one is not." The danger of optimism, Voltaire believed, lies in its essentially passive response to life. If God has given human beings "the best of all possible worlds, " as Leibniz claimed, and if everything that happens is somehow for the best, then to what point is human choice and action? In this well-balanced study, Mason relates the events in Voltaire's personal life and in the world around him that contributed to his revolt: the death of his closest companion; his exile from Paris; the catastrophic Lisbon earthquake of 1755; the eruption and often ruthless conduct of the Seven Years' War. The real-life hardships of psychological pain, natural disaster, and war, Voltaire found, could not be rationalized away by philosophy.
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Add this copy of Candide: Optimism Demolished (Twayne's Masterwork to cart. $46.12, poor condition, Sold by Anybook rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1992 by Twayne et al.
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Seller's Description:
Volume 104. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. Book contains pen & pencil markings. In poor condition, suitable as a reading copy. No dust jacket. Re-bound by library. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 350grams, ISBN: 9780805785593.
Add this copy of Candide: Optimism Demolished to cart. $12.43, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Twayne Publishers.
Add this copy of Candide: Optimism Demolished (Twayne's Masterwork to cart. $15.37, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Twayne Publishers.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
Add this copy of Candide: Optimism Demolished (Twayne's Masterwork to cart. $39.99, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Twayne Pub.
Add this copy of Candide: Optimism Demolished (Twayne's Masterwork to cart. $40.66, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Twayne Pub.
