A Panglossian Proposition

Today is the 250th anniversary of the earthquake that hit and virtually destroyed Lisbon.

The earthquake of 1755 is still a big deal among the Portuguese people. Although the city has obviously since recovered, it is still remembered and talked about with reverence and awe.

The long-term effects of the earthquake have been several but I will only mention a few.

First, city planning. It is believed that Lisbon was founded by the Phoenecians around 1200 BC. The Phoenecians were primarily a sea trading civilization who relied on maritime strength for their economic success and survival. Lisbon (or Alis Ubbo meaning "safe harbor", as the Phoenecians would have called it), was founded as a secluded mid-point to keep their trade routes flourishing. Over the centuries, however, Lisbon (and all the Iberian peninsula) fell under Roman, Moorish, and Spanish rule, the collective influence still seen today in art, architecture, music, and language.

Moreover, roadways and neighborhoods were not planned with any preconceived idea of future development. After the earthquake razed almost all the city's buildings, municipal leaders came up with the concept of the baixa, or downtown area, that features wide avenues with a linear layout. The man in charge of rebuilding, the Marquis de Pombal, was severely criticized for unnecessarily widening the roads to which he replied, "Some day, they will be small." For his wisdom, a statue of his likeness is displayed in the downtown plaza surrounded by busy intersections on roads that are, you guesed it, too small.

Second, history as reflected through literature. Perhaps one of my favorite books is Candide, by Voltaire. Voltaire is an important revolutionary figure during the Age of Enlightenment for challenging the notion that the Catholic Church should not have the corner in the market of scientific truth. He was not anti-religion, as his writings are often mistaken for, but was intolerant of religious intolerance. His literary criticisms of Catholicism and social injustices in general landed him a stint in the Bastille then later temporary exile from France.

Coincidentally, Candide was the first book that I was assigned to read by a teacher that I actually enjoyed and continue to re-read. Many historians argue that Voltaire wrote his most reknowned work based on the optimistic outlook that grew from the dust of the earthquake. Candide, the protagonist in Voltaire's 1759 satire, is also called The Optimist. He is mentored by Pangloss, the teacher of metaphysico-theologico-cosmo-codology ( not-so-subtle dig at the Pope that science and religion are not always the same although the former, at times, may be used to explain the latter), that all things that happen are for the best. From the simple to the profound, the Panglossian Proposition teaches there is not cause without effect that does not end as the best possible.

For example, as Pangloss explains, the bridge of the nose was designed for spectacles; therefore, we wear glasses. Legs were designed for stockings; therefore, we wear stockings. I believe he would have taught that modern transportation requires wide avenues; therefore, an earthquake must destroy the city for urban development.

There are two major man-made structures visible when one enters Lisbon. The first is the longest bridge in Europe called the Ponte 25 de Abril. It is named after the date of the 1974 revolution that freed Portugal from Communist rule, although the bridge existed eight years prior to the revolution with a different name. It was designed by the same company that drew plans for the Golden Gate bridge and is virtually identical to its American twin.

The other is Cristo Rei, a monument 360 feet tall. It was constructed after World War II to serve as a reminder that Lisbon was spared of the damage that befell most other European cities. Cristo Rei stands with His arms outstretched and reminds us that we are not always spared from misfortune, nor may we immediately understand it, but the result will be as Pangloss taught - the best of all worlds.