Brief reflections on the meaning and import of “Il faut cultiver notre jardin” at the end of “Candide”

 

Brief reflections on the meaning and import of “Il faut cultiver notre jardin”

at the end of “Candide”

 

I have greatly enjoyed writing up my vaguely philosophical thoughts on a variety of films and the odd book, and then offering them up for acceptance or scorn on various internet platforms. It has given me pleasure and satisfaction to think my articles were of some interest to a relatively small group of people, but it occurred to me recently that my thoughts are purely notional and subjective, and are likely to have little, if any, practical or long-lasting effect. This somewhat disheartening train of thought led to the notion that philosophy itself could be regarded as unfulfilling, as it leaves questions unresolved and, indeed, only ever leads to more (unresolved) issues. Consequently, I wondered if it wouldn’t be better to abandon such cerebral activity and simply focus on the practical business of living.

This rather despondent conclusion brought to mind “Candide”, the first philosophical book I read in French. However, unable to put my hands on my 47-year-old copy of the book, and wishing to read the final paragraphs of the work which summarise the conclusions reached by the “hero” of the tale and his friends, I searched “il faut cultiver notre jardin” (we should cultivate our garden) in Google and was somewhat taken aback by what I found.

Rather than a link to the text that I was hoping to find, I came across a series of interpretations of this famous phrase:

We must put our own health first.

We should improve ourselves.

We must cultivate our minds.

We should seed and sow thoughts and ideas.

We should develop a perspective by rational scepticism, not simple faith.

 

I was stunned.

These readings are, of course, valid interpretations of the isolated sentence, but are considerably less valid as an interpretation of Voltaire’s famous philosophical work whose final words, “il faut cultiver notre jardin”, summarise the hero Candide’s response to the physical and philosophical journey he has taken in the course of the tale, and as such should not be taken out of this broader context.

In the end, Candide and his friends conclude that work is the way forward as reflection, historical knowledge and philosophy essentially do little to help mankind survive – these are beautiful indulgences which may cause confusion and distress while work frees them from boredom, vice and need. This is encapsulated in the line, “Travaillons sans raisonner, c’est le seul moyen de rendre la vie supportable” (Let us work without reflection, that’s the only way of making life bearable).

In my opinion, “il faut cultiver notre jardin” should not be taken out of context and should be regarded as an appeal to focus on practical efforts to get by in life, and to reject excessive thought, though it should be pointed out that our “heroes” only reach that conclusion by indulging in philosophical thought.

It is perhaps ironic to note that the first philosophical book I read, one that helped launch many reflections on a variety of topics, also contained the conclusion I would reach some 47 years later, though I also felt the need to “philosophise” in order to arrive at this conclusion.

 

 

My thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.

 

Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)

 

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