Le Monde comme il va, vision de Babouc

by Voltaire

"Le Monde comme il va, vision de Babouc" by Voltaire is a philosophical tale published in 1748. The angel Ituriel sends Babouc, a Scythian, to observe the city of Persepolis and determine whether its corruption warrants divine punishment. As Babouc journeys through the city, he encounters contradictions at every turn—splendor and squalor, virtue and vice, wisdom and foolishness. His observations swing between disgust and admiration, challenging his judgments about what makes a society worthy of survival or destruction.