Voltaire's 'Lisbon Earthquake'; A discussion on the Concept of Evil
Details
Following the Lisbon Earthquake in 1755, Voltaire published a poem attacking the Philosophical Optimism notion that all is for the best in "the best of all possible worlds" and "What is, is Right".
The poem was to bring the suffering, devastation, and death to a wide readership and try to undermine the prevalent thoughts, which allowed suffering to be ignored, and to cause sympathy for the people in misery, torment, and anguish. Seeking relief and charity to go to the victims instead of the neglect they experienced. This event and the subsequent counter arguments started Voltaire on a path of activism which helped to change the western world. We will also review the long and eventful life of Voltaire.
Follow-up discussion on the concept of evil. Since it is very broad topic, we will begin on some (very brief) historical context and relating it to the poem and natural disasters. Conversations will then dictate where it goes.
All are welcome! No background necessary!
The poem can be found here for those who would like to read: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Works_of_Voltaire/Volume_36/The_Lisbon_Earthquake