The Best of All Possible Worlds
E712252
The Best of All Possible Worlds is the satirical philosophical concept, famously mocked by Voltaire in *Candide*, that claims our existing world is the optimal one God could have created.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
metaphysical thesis
ⓘ
philosophical concept ⓘ theological doctrine ⓘ |
| addressesQuestion | why a good God allows evil ⓘ |
| aimsToSolve |
the evidential problem of evil
ⓘ
the logical problem of evil ⓘ |
| associatedWithPhilosopher | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWork | Essays on Theodicy: On the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| assumes |
God is omnibenevolent
ⓘ
God is omnipotent ⓘ God is omniscient ⓘ |
| centralClaim |
an omnipotent and benevolent God chooses the best among all possible worlds
ⓘ
the actual world is the best possible world God could have created ⓘ |
| criticizedBy | Voltaire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| famouslySatirizedIn | Candide NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| field |
metaphysics
ⓘ
philosophy of religion ⓘ theodicy ⓘ |
| formulatedBy | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName |
best of all possible worlds
ⓘ
optimistic theodicy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasKeyCritic |
Arthur Schopenhauer
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
David Hume NERFINISHED ⓘ Voltaire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasKeyProponent | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | Early modern philosophy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| implies | every actual evil is permitted for a greater good ⓘ |
| influenced |
Enlightenment discussions of optimism
ⓘ
later debates on theodicy ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Christian theology
ⓘ
modal metaphysics ⓘ |
| involves | compatibility of evil with divine perfection ⓘ |
| isSubjectOf | satirical critiques of philosophical optimism ⓘ |
| logicalStructure | comparative evaluation of all possible worlds ⓘ |
| modeledUsing | possible worlds semantics ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
atheistic arguments from evil
ⓘ
pessimism ⓘ |
| philosophicalPosition | optimism ⓘ |
| philosophicalStatus |
controversial
ⓘ
widely debated in philosophy of religion ⓘ |
| presupposes | that God freely chooses which world to actualize ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
divine providence
ⓘ
omnibenevolence ⓘ omnipotence ⓘ possible worlds ⓘ problem of evil ⓘ |
| requires | a maximality ordering of possible worlds by goodness ⓘ |
| supportsView | that apparent evils contribute to a greater overall good ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Candide