-> After the Earthquake that devastated Florence, Voltaire wrote a satire 
-> of the "God says these are the best of times" philosophers.
-> He had a savage wit and he used it.

In Candide he used his Dr. Pangloss to play much the same wit off of.
Pangloss was always spouting off "this is the best of all possible
worlds" despite the horrors that befell him.

Dr. Pangloss was Voltaire's way of ripping into other conteporary 
philosphers at the time.

Yes he had a savage wit and in his stroies he rips into the church,
goverment and all sorts of established institutions.

Most all of what Voltaire wrote centuries ago remains equally valid
today.

Having a dark sense of humor his "savage wit" cracked me up many
times while reading his work.
Cleverer writing I've never seen.
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