Lloyd StricklandCorresponding author

False Optimism?
Leibniz, Evil, and the Best of all Possible Worlds

Article
15/1 - Spring 2010, pages 17-35
Date of online publication: 25 January 2016
Date of publication: 30 June 2010

Abstract

Leibniz’s claim that this is the best of all possible worlds has been subject to numerous criticisms, both from his contemporaries and ours. In this paper I investigate a cluster of such criticisms based on the existence, abundance or character of worldly evil. As several Leibniz-inspired versions of optimism have been advanced in recent years, the aim of my investigation is to assess not just how Leibniz’s brand of optimism fares against these criticisms, but also whether optimism as a philosophy has the resources to meet these challenges. I show that none of the criticisms considered has sufficient force to pose a threat to Leibniz’s version of optimism or to one modelled on it.

Cite this article

Strickland, Lloyd. “False Optimism? Leibniz, Evil, and the Best of all Possible Worlds.” Forum Philosophicum 15, no. 1 (2010): 17–35. doi:10.35765/forphil.2010.1501.02.