Part 1 of 5 · freeIntroduction
Published in 1759, Candide, or Optimism is the masterpiece of the philosophical tale, a short story that mixes adventure with ideas. Voltaire, whose real name was François-Marie Arouet, demolishes the idea of a world perfectly ordered by providence, the will of God guiding everything.
In thirty fast chapters, the tale is pure Enlightenment philosophy, the 18th-century movement built on reason and the critique of prejudice. Man must act concretely, not only speculate about the meaning of the world. Voltaire uses humor and exaggeration to make the reader think without preaching.
The rest is in the Sophia app.The remaining parts, the open-book quiz and the full glossary. Free to start; Premium unlocks everything.
- 21755: the earthquake that shakes Voltaire
- 3Pangloss and devastating irony
- 4Eldorado and the slave of Surinam
- 5Cultivating our garden
Open-book quiz10 questions whose answers are in the text.
Glossary10 terms explained in a tap.
30 languagesThe same course, from French to Japanese.
