The journal
Open the journal →The conversation starts in the journal — be the first to post.
About An Essay on Man
"An Essay on Man" is a poem published by Alexander Pope in 1733–1734. It is an effort to rationalize or rather "vindicate the ways of God to man" (l.16), a variation of John Milton's claim in the opening lines of Paradise Lost, that he will "justifie the wayes of God to men" (1.26). It is concerned with the natural order God has decreed for man. Because man cannot know God's purposes, he cannot complain about his position in the great chain of being (ll.33–34) and must accept that "Whatever is, is right" (l.292). More than any other work, it popularized optimistic philosophy throughout England and the rest of Europe.
Everything about An Essay on Man →