The Best of All Possible Worlds

History Against the Grain

“It is impossible that things should be other than they are; for everything is right,” said Dr. Pangloss. "Oh, Pangloss!" cried Candide, "what a strange genealogy! Is not the Devil the original stock of it?”

With earthquakes and a bit of light editing, we cast off with Voltaire and Episode 59 in search of the stories that do not make us sick. It is not so easy as one might imagine, harried as we are by zombie narratives that refuse to die, textbook deadlines, and paeans to liberal democracy proclaiming the end of history. If man really did invent agriculture because he was getting hungrier, then who are we to deny the foolish optimism of those who say we’ve never had it so good? Or maybe it is just time to interrogate the archives and hear some other voices for a change. But that’s only if we really want to know what’s wrong and how to fix it. On the other hand, if you’re fine, and it’s fine, and everything is fine, then grab a seat next to Ted Cruz at the baseball game and pretend you can’t hear all those Bronx cheers.