Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
You Must Cultivate Your Garden
Candide's Advice to the Metaphysician
The end of Voltaire's Candide famously concludes with Candide's assertion, "We must cultivate our garden." This phrase is often interpreted as an advocacy for practical work and personal responsibility, emphasizing the importance of focusing on tangible actions and improving one's immediate surroundings rather than being consumed by endless philosophical speculation or paralyzed by the overwhelming complexities of the broader world. The "garden" is a local setting: a household, a neighborhood, a village, a city. Cultivating it is adding love and beauty to it, in whatever way you can. Each cultivated garden, in its modest way, contributes to the larger world—not through grandiosity but through the quiet, enduring power of care, presence, and attention to the particular.
At one level, this idea can be seen as a challenge to process philosophers and others or a metaphysical bent, who frequently emphasize the need to change "worldviews" as a means of fostering global transformation. The focus on abstract principles and comprehensive paradigms can seem at odds with the earthy practicality of tending a garden.
Yet, at another level, the advice resonates closely with core process ideas. Process philosophy holds that the actualities of the world—people, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and hills—are fundamentally interwoven, affecting one another in subtle, relational ways. It is in these concrete particularities and their interactions, rather than in universal abstractions, that true agency resides. Life unfolds in the concrete realities of lived experience.
True, lived experience can be guided by abstract ideas and ideals, and these ideals can be life-nourishing or, as in the case of so much culture today, life-denying, Love and justice are ideals, and so are hatred and domination. Process philosophers prefer love and justice. But life itself always transcends the ideals and the slogans. Actual occasions of experience, in local settings, are where the action is. Life unfolds in the quiet power of the particular.
If we also consider a key tenet of religiously-minded process philosophy—that a divine spirit of creative transformation operates within the world independently of abstract ideals—the wisdom of Candide's conclusion becomes even more apparent. The call to cultivate our gardens becomes a cautionary note against over-reliance on sweeping global visions and philosophical constructs. It reminds us that real change begins in the immediacy of lived experience, in the intimate and relational care for the particulars of our shared world.
In essence, Candide’s wisdom offers a complementary balance: while global awareness and transformative thinking have their place, they are incomplete without the grounded, steady work of cultivating what is immediately within our care. As we attend to our gardens—literal or metaphorical—we participate in a larger process of creative transformation, rooted in the particular but resonating through the interconnected web of existence.
- Jay McDaniel
At one level, this idea can be seen as a challenge to process philosophers and others or a metaphysical bent, who frequently emphasize the need to change "worldviews" as a means of fostering global transformation. The focus on abstract principles and comprehensive paradigms can seem at odds with the earthy practicality of tending a garden.
Yet, at another level, the advice resonates closely with core process ideas. Process philosophy holds that the actualities of the world—people, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and hills—are fundamentally interwoven, affecting one another in subtle, relational ways. It is in these concrete particularities and their interactions, rather than in universal abstractions, that true agency resides. Life unfolds in the concrete realities of lived experience.
True, lived experience can be guided by abstract ideas and ideals, and these ideals can be life-nourishing or, as in the case of so much culture today, life-denying, Love and justice are ideals, and so are hatred and domination. Process philosophers prefer love and justice. But life itself always transcends the ideals and the slogans. Actual occasions of experience, in local settings, are where the action is. Life unfolds in the quiet power of the particular.
If we also consider a key tenet of religiously-minded process philosophy—that a divine spirit of creative transformation operates within the world independently of abstract ideals—the wisdom of Candide's conclusion becomes even more apparent. The call to cultivate our gardens becomes a cautionary note against over-reliance on sweeping global visions and philosophical constructs. It reminds us that real change begins in the immediacy of lived experience, in the intimate and relational care for the particulars of our shared world.
In essence, Candide’s wisdom offers a complementary balance: while global awareness and transformative thinking have their place, they are incomplete without the grounded, steady work of cultivating what is immediately within our care. As we attend to our gardens—literal or metaphorical—we participate in a larger process of creative transformation, rooted in the particular but resonating through the interconnected web of existence.
- Jay McDaniel
Jeff and Janet
Consider Jeff, a philosopher deeply concerned with the violence, injustice, and sadness that permeate the world. He believes that these problems could be alleviated—perhaps even resolved—if humanity collectively embraced the right ways of thinking: recognizing the interconnectedness of all things, honoring the intrinsic value of life, and understanding the universe as a creative advance into novelty. To Jeff, these ideas hold the promise of global transformation.
But Jeff’s friend Janet sees a blind spot in his perspective. His focus on high-minded ideals and global change seems to have distanced him from the local and immediate. Janet senses that Jeff has become so consumed by systemic and abstract solutions that he’s lost touch with the day-to-day—the small but meaningful efforts that shape life’s texture.
Janet, recently reading Voltaire's Candide, recalls its iconic conclusion: "We must cultivate our garden." Sharing this phrase with Jeff, she hopes it will inspire him to reconsider the balance between his global aspirations and the tangible realities of his immediate world.
Voltaire and the Wisdom of the Garden
Voltaire, the Enlightenment luminary, crafted Candide as a biting critique of blind optimism, targeting philosophical abstractions that ignore the harsh realities of existence. The novella chronicles Candide's tumultuous journey, exposing him to war, betrayal, and suffering, all while his tutor Pangloss clings to the belief that they live in “the best of all possible worlds.” The story’s resolution arrives on a humble farm, where Candide renounces Pangloss’s speculative philosophy in favor of pragmatic action: cultivating one’s garden.
The phrase “we must cultivate our garden” serves as a metaphor for grounded, purposeful living. It critiques the paralysis that can arise from overly ambitious or abstract thought and advocates for tangible, local efforts that address the realities of life. For Voltaire, this shift from lofty speculation to practical labor underscores the inadequacy of abstract systems to provide meaning or remedy life’s hardships.
A Critique of Abstraction
Janet sees in Voltaire’s wisdom a gentle challenge to Jeff. His noble vision of global interconnectedness, while inspiring, risks detachment from the here and now. Lofty ideas can inadvertently foster neglect of the immediate—our relationships, our communities, our shared spaces. “We must cultivate our garden” reminds Jeff that transformation begins at home, in small, deliberate acts of care and attention.
Janet offers Voltaire’s famous phrase not merely as a call for Jeff to focus on the local and immediate but also as a subtle critique of his belief in a singular "right way" of thinking. While Jeff’s conviction that interconnectedness and intrinsic value can transform the world is noble, it risks falling into the same trap Voltaire critiques in Candide: the overreliance on universal principles to address the complex, messy realities of life.
Voltaire’s wisdom suggests that no single philosophy, however elegant, can resolve every problem. Life resists neat solutions, and the sheer diversity of human experience defies uniform prescriptions. By advocating for the cultivation of one’s garden, Voltaire underscores the importance of pluralism, pragmatism, and adaptability. Transformation arises not from one grand answer but from many small, varied acts of care and attention.
Cultivating one’s garden doesn’t reject the importance of larger visions or interconnected thinking. Instead, it offers balance: a reminder that even the most compelling ideas must be rooted in the soil of tangible action. For Jeff, this balance meana pairing his global ideals with a renewed focus on the particular—on relationships, acts of kindness, and small contributions that ripple outward.
The Quiet Power of the Particular
In embracing the metaphor of the garden, Jeff may come to see that the path to global transformation is not a straight line guided by a single truth but a mosaic of small, diverse, and interconnected efforts. Each garden cultivated contributes to the larger world—not through grandiosity but through the quiet power of care, presence, and attention to the particular.
- Jay McDaniel
Candidate: The Plot
Exposition: Life in the Castle
Candide is a young, naïve man living in the castle of Baron Thunder-ten-Tronckh in Westphalia. He is tutored by Pangloss, a philosopher who espouses relentless optimism, teaching that they live in "the best of all possible worlds." Candide falls in love with Cunégonde, the baron’s daughter, but is expelled from the castle after being caught kissing her.
Rising Action: A Series of Misfortunes
Candide’s journey begins with a series of disasters:
Candide reunites with Cunégonde, who has survived but is now the mistress of two powerful men. Candide kills them both and flees with Cunégonde and an old woman who becomes their companion.
Adventures Across Continents
The trio embarks on a series of misadventures:
Climax: The Reunion
Candide eventually finds Cunégonde, who has been enslaved and has lost her beauty. Despite his disappointment, he resolves to marry her out of loyalty. The reunion is bittersweet, as disillusionment with Pangloss’s philosophy grows.
Falling Action: Settling Down
Candide, Cunégonde, and their companions settle on a small farm. They wrestle with questions about happiness and meaning, as Pangloss continues to defend his optimistic philosophy despite overwhelming evidence of the world’s suffering.
Resolution: “We Must Cultivate Our Garden”
In the end, Candide rejects abstract philosophy in favor of practical action. He concludes that the best way to deal with life’s uncertainties is to focus on tangible work and self-sufficiency. The group agrees to "cultivate their garden," symbolizing the value of labor and grounding oneself in reality.
Candide is a young, naïve man living in the castle of Baron Thunder-ten-Tronckh in Westphalia. He is tutored by Pangloss, a philosopher who espouses relentless optimism, teaching that they live in "the best of all possible worlds." Candide falls in love with Cunégonde, the baron’s daughter, but is expelled from the castle after being caught kissing her.
Rising Action: A Series of Misfortunes
Candide’s journey begins with a series of disasters:
- He is conscripted into the Bulgarian army and witnesses horrific violence.
- After escaping, he meets Pangloss, now a beggar suffering from syphilis, who explains that Cunégonde’s family has been slaughtered.
- They travel to Lisbon, arriving just as a massive earthquake devastates the city.
- Pangloss is hanged, and Candide is flogged by the Inquisition during an auto-da-fé meant to prevent further earthquakes.
Candide reunites with Cunégonde, who has survived but is now the mistress of two powerful men. Candide kills them both and flees with Cunégonde and an old woman who becomes their companion.
Adventures Across Continents
The trio embarks on a series of misadventures:
- In South America, Candide meets Cacambo, his loyal servant, and they flee authorities after Candide kills another man.
- They encounter Eldorado, a utopian society filled with wealth and harmony. However, Candide decides to leave, taking as much gold as he can to buy Cunégonde’s freedom.
- On their way back to Europe, Candide is swindled out of most of his fortune.
Climax: The Reunion
Candide eventually finds Cunégonde, who has been enslaved and has lost her beauty. Despite his disappointment, he resolves to marry her out of loyalty. The reunion is bittersweet, as disillusionment with Pangloss’s philosophy grows.
Falling Action: Settling Down
Candide, Cunégonde, and their companions settle on a small farm. They wrestle with questions about happiness and meaning, as Pangloss continues to defend his optimistic philosophy despite overwhelming evidence of the world’s suffering.
Resolution: “We Must Cultivate Our Garden”
In the end, Candide rejects abstract philosophy in favor of practical action. He concludes that the best way to deal with life’s uncertainties is to focus on tangible work and self-sufficiency. The group agrees to "cultivate their garden," symbolizing the value of labor and grounding oneself in reality.
Voltaire Studies: Links
- Voltaire Society of America: This organization aims to foster the spirit of the Enlightenment, emphasizing tolerance and respect for individual rights, as exemplified by Voltaire's life and the beliefs of his contemporaries.
Whitman College - Voltaire Foundation: Based at the University of Oxford, the Voltaire Foundation is a research department committed to disseminating world-leading research on the Enlightenment. It publishes the correspondences of key French thinkers from the 17th and 18th centuries, thereby promoting the debates of Voltaire and his contemporaries to a broad audience.
Voltaire Foundation