Micromegas is a story, but of a particular kind: a "philosophical story." Through it, Voltaire suggests a pointed critique of human thought and behavior. He especially questions the idea of the Great Chain of Being. In an essay of at least 150 words, explain the idea of the Great Chain of Being. Then identify and discuss the critique of the Great Chain of Being that Voltaire raises through the vehicle of the visit of the Sirian and the Saturnian. Use details from the story to support your response.

Respuesta :

The Great Chain of Being is a concept developed in the ancient Greek, by Plato, Aristotles and Plotinus and further developed by philosophers of the Reinassance and even maintained by the German philosopher Leibniz in the eigthteen century. The concept tries to explain the nature of the universe with the idea that all creatures are part of chain in which God stands above every living thing in the universe. According to this principle, God is responsible for the creation of humans and animals and this premise implies that there is no limitation for the creation of God, since God's power's are limitless. Three premises derive from this principle: Plenitude, continuity and Gradation. Plenitude explains that the universe is full of every possible form of life, whilst continuity states that there are infinite series of life, and Gradation implies that all form of lives are hierarchically positionated in the Chain of life, from the highest form (God) up to the lowest form (minerals) in which humans are placed in the middle. Voltaire introduces two extraterrestrian forms of being; one of them is called Micromegas (an inhabitant from a huge planet who is almost 120,000 feet tall) who decides to travel around the universe to investigate other planets. During the trip he meets Sirius from Saturn who is 6,000 feet tall, and together they decide to travel to Earth. When they land on Earth they realize that the planet is so tiny that it seems impossible for any form of life to live there. Soon, they discover that there are inhabitants but they are so small that they cannot even see them on plain sight, therefore, they get to the conclusion that such a tiny forms of life cannot have any kind of intelligence. After observing them for a while, they realize that those inhabitants are able to talk, and Micromegas and Sirius listen their language and learn it fast. They study human philosophers and they even laught at the theory of Aquina's that states that the universe is created for the benefit of mankind.  Voltaire, with his short story questions this antrophocentric view that the universe was created for human beings and gets to the conclussion that other forms of being, much larger, intelligent, ancient and perfect are completely likely to exist.

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