Is GOD,or some GOD-like entity,

naturally good, and omnipotent (all-powerful)?

If so, how do you explain the evils of the world?

If not, or perhaps you don’t believe in ANY god-like entity, what explanation can you provide for the presence of

evil?

World of Evil

Do-N

ow

Mon, March 3 , 2014

AGENDA• Overview: Essay on Man• Mini-Lesson: Philosophical Optimism• Reading: Leibniz vs Voltaire HOMEWORK• Reading: Leibniz vs Voltaire• Summary: Compose 2-3 paragraphs

summarizing the stance of both Leibniz and Voltaire

theEnlightenment

Thur, Feb. 27, 2014

Leibniz vs Voltaire

Gottfried Wilhelm von LeibnizLeibniz (1646—1716)• German scientist mathematician; philosopher; theologianPhilosophical Optimism • In his famous work, Théodicée

(1710), he claims that a good, omnipotent (all-powerful) God must have made the world from best of all possible options —no better configuration is possible• Believing that this is the best of all

possible worlds is called Philosophical Optimism

Principle of Sufficient ReasonLeibniz (1646—1716)• An outgrowth of philosophical

optimism is this thinking is the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which states that everything must have a reason or cause.

For every entity X, if X exists, then there is a sufficient explanation why X exists

• Leibniz believed everything exists for a reason—everything has a cause. There's an original cause, namely, God

Voltaire (1694—1778)• pen name of French philosopher François-Marie Arouet• advocate of freedom of religion and expression, and separation of church and state.Philosophical Dictionary • Voltaire anonymously published

Philosophical Dictionary (1764) as an encyclopedic consisting of 73 articles

—later 120—on various topics (free will, equality, truth, etc.) Most criticize the Roman Catholic Church

Voltaire

Voltaire

In response to Leibniz’ philosophical optimism, Voltaire wrote an essay titled: “ALL is GOOD”

Voltaire (1694—1778)• He was exiled from many countries due

to his beliefs/ writings • Voltaire found philosophical optimism

hard to stomach considering all the suffering he had seen in his own life.

• He’d watched his lover die in childbirth (with a baby not his own), he’d been in prison, in exile. Suffering and evil cannot be rationalized.

A L L i s G O O D