Practice question · Multiple choice
Candide closes with the injunction to 'cultivate our garden', turning away from philosophical debate towards physical labour. What does this conclusion achieve within Voltaire's critique?
Hints
- Does the final maxim validate Pangloss's worldview or supersede it entirely?
- How does engaged physical labour differ from mere intellectual resignation?
Show the answer
C. It rejects both total optimism and despair in favour of practical activity
Why
Dismissing the ending as quietist retreat misses Voltaire's point: practical effort provides meaning without requiring metaphysical excuses for suffering, avoiding both Panglossian denial and total defeatism.
Practise Six Set Books: Candide to A Doll’s House
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