The best of all possible worlds, by Brian Schroeder, 11 November, 2021.
February 19, 2022
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds was popular in Europe, particularly in many leading philosophical circles. To Francois-Marie Arouet, more commonly known as Voltaire, this was nonsense, and he set out to lampoon the concept in brilliant satire.
But:
- What was the basis of this belief in the first place?
- How effective is Voltaire’s response?
- And what should we make of it today, particularly in our covid-ravaged world?
Brian’s presentation is available on YouTube.
