Candide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. A young man, Candide, lives a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise, being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism by his mentor, Professor Pangloss. This lifestyle is abruptly ended, followed by Candide's slow and painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes Candide with, if not rejecting Leibnizian optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best" in the "best of all possible worlds". (Wikipedia)Stick around after the story for some of my thoughts.You can read the novella here: http://www.esp.org/books/voltaire/candide.pdfBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/pallettownPaypal donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=CQ68PXMWB7G8Y&no_recurring=0¤cy_code=CAD

This article by Franzen was published in The New Yorker in 2015.You can read this article here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/06/carbon-capturePlease like, subscribe, or become a member if you enjoy!Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/pallettownPaypal donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=CQ68PXMWB7G8Y&no_recurring=0¤cy_code=CAD

This is an essay by American author Tom Wolfe, in which Wolfe coined the phrase "'Me' Decade", a term that became common as a descriptor for the 1970s. The essay was first published as the cover story in the August 23, 1976, issue of New York magazineYou can read the essay here: https://nymag.com/article/tom-wolfe-me-decade-third-great-awakening.html#printBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/pallettownPaypal donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=CQ68PXMWB7G8Y&no_recurring=0¤cy_code=CAD