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.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
The Best of All Possible Worlds canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

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 ⓘ
associatedWork Essays on Theodicy: On the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil ⓘ
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 ⓘ
famouslySatirizedIn Candide ⓘ
field metaphysics ⓘ
philosophy of religion ⓘ
theodicy ⓘ
formulatedBy Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz ⓘ
hasAlternativeName best of all possible worlds ⓘ
optimistic theodicy ⓘ
linked to: Leibnizian optimism
hasKeyCritic Arthur Schopenhauer ⓘ
David Hume ⓘ
Voltaire ⓘ
hasKeyProponent Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz ⓘ
historicalPeriod Early modern philosophy ⓘ
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 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Candide → notableNumber → The Best of All Possible Worlds ⓘ