Not Explicitly

I have to accept that I actually got excited with these two chapters. I understood how, listening to Radio Lab, reading Slaughterhouse-Fie and reading the Handbook of Epictetus were all connected, only by these two chapters, and part from the previous one. Even learning satire and the characteristics is involved and wrapped together with Candide. Pangloss is Epictetus, the tutor of Candide that is Billy Pilgrim, or Kurt Vonnegut, the concepts of Pangloss are Radio Lab’s experiments on free will, and it all involves satire. For example, “During treatment, Pangloss lost only an eye and an ear.” (pg. 31) This quotation can be interpreted in many ways. It can be satire, it is using hyperbole by the fact that Pangloss had “lost only”, as if loosing an eye and an ear were nothing important of relevant, when it actually is. If it is analyzed as Epictetus would, then he is just letting his fate flow, it is not up to him what he looses or what he doesn’t,
I think both ways are right. “On the voyage Pangloss explained to him how all was designed for the best.” (pg. 31) As I stated before, Pangloss is the representation of Epictetus, maybe not explicitly, but theoretically, yes. He believes that if he lets nature destiny lead him to where he is supposed to be, not manipulating the things that are not up to him, then “it is all design for the best”. The book itself states a question that was tried to answer by experiments in Radio Lab, such as how the brain works in specific situations, dividing it up into rational and emotional sides of the brain. “Then you don’t believe in Free Will, sir?’ said the officer.”(pg. 35) Pangloss doesn’t, he believes that free will is dependable of Absolute Necessity. Does Epictetus agree on that? It might. Epictetus says that what is up to is what we can change, and therefore we are not supposed to be worrying about the things that are not up to us, so we cannot choose from those that are not up to us, because if we do, we would be miserable. Is Free Will dependable of Absolute Necessity? It probably is.