Optimism and the Best Possible World : A Philosophical History

This volume presents original essays on the ideas of philosophical optimism and the best possible world. It highlights the historical and philosophical nuances of an idea that remains under-treated within the literature despite its long and influential history.

This volume presents original essays on the ideas of philosophical optimism and the best possible world. It highlights the historical and philosophical nuances of an idea that remains under-treated within the literature despite its long and influential history. Optimism—broadly, the thesis that God does the best, or that this is the best possible world—is often associated with the philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. However, there exists a rich tradition of philosophical optimism not only after Leibniz but before him as well. The chapters in this volume address the philosophical nuances of optimism within the ancient, medieval, enlightenment, modern, and contemporary eras. They cover a variety of thinkers ranging from Plato, Aquinas, Rousseau, Voltaire, Jonathan Edwards, the new optimists of 19th-century France, and the non-theistic optimists of the 20th century. Optimism and the Best Possible World will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of religion, history of philosophy, religious history, and intellectual history.