best of all possible worlds
- best of all possible worlds
-
in the philosophy of the 17th- and 18th-century philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm), the present world of monads (infinitesimal psychophysical entities) coordinated in preestablished harmony. Among all possible worlds that God could have created, his actual choice of one over the others required a “sufficient reason,” which, for Leibniz, was the fact that this world was the “best”—despite the existence of evident evils; for any other “possible world” would have had evils of its own sort of even greater magnitude. Had it lacked a sufficient reason to explain its existence (and implicitly its contingency), the world for Leibniz would have existed of necessity. Voltaire's
Candide (1759) was a satirical rejection of Leibniz' optimistic view of the world.
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Best of all possible worlds — OptimismThe phrase the best of all possible worlds ( fr. le meilleur des mondes possibles) was coined by the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz in his 1710 work Essais de Théodicée sur la bonté de Dieu, la liberté de l homme et l origine du mal … Wikipedia
best of all possible worlds — The celebrated view of Leibniz, parodied by Voltaire in Candide, that the actual world is the best of all possible worlds: anything else would be inconsistent with the omnipotence and benevolence of the Creator … Philosophy dictionary
all’s for the best in the best of all possible worlds — This saying translates Voltaire’s Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles, the observation which the philosophical optimist Dr Pangloss in Candide (1759) persists in making, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. 1911 … Proverbs new dictionary
the best of all possible worlds — the best of all (possible) worlds : the best possible situation The current economic situation is the best of all possible worlds for investors. • • • Main Entry: ↑world … Useful english dictionary
(the) best of all possible worlds — the best of ˈboth/ˈall possible worlds idiom the benefits of two or more completely different situations that you can enjoy at the same time • If you enjoy the coast and the country, you ll get the best of both worlds on this walk. Main entry:… … Useful english dictionary
the best of all possible worlds — ► the best of both (or all possible) worlds the benefits of widely differing situations, enjoyed at the same time. Main Entry: ↑world … English terms dictionary
Of All Possible Worlds — First … Wikipedia
(the) best of both possible worlds — the best of ˈboth/ˈall possible worlds idiom the benefits of two or more completely different situations that you can enjoy at the same time • If you enjoy the coast and the country, you ll get the best of both worlds on this walk. Main entry:… … Useful english dictionary
the best of both (or all possible) worlds — the benefits of widely differing situations, enjoyed at the same time. → world … English new terms dictionary
the best of all worlds — the best of all (possible) worlds : the best possible situation The current economic situation is the best of all possible worlds for investors. • • • Main Entry: ↑world … Useful english dictionary
