Optimism and the Best Possible World: A Philosophical History

by Justin J. Daeley (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032463100
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/06/2025
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Justin J. Daeley teaches philosophy for Liberty University (online), Lynchburg Virginia, USA. Daeley specializes in the philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, and Leibniz studies. He has published in academic journals like Sophia, Religious Studies, Philosophia Christi, and The Leibniz Review. His most recent book publication is Why God Must Do What Is Best: A Philosophical Investigation of Theistic Optimism (2021).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction Justin J. Daeley  2. Optimism in Plato and the Neoplatonic Tradition Katherin A. Rogers  3. Thomas Aquinas and the (No) Best Possible World B. Kyle Keltz  4. Leibniz’s Optimism and the Problem of Evil Julia Weckend  5. Rousseau versus Voltaire on Optimism Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra  6. Jonathan Edwards and the Early New England Theistic Optimism Justin J. Daeley  7. The Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Melioristic Turn in the Optimism Debate Lloyd Strickland  8. Non-theistic Optimism in Recent Philosophy Eric Steinhart  9. The Argument from Addition for No Best World Daniel Rubio  10. An Unsurpassable World Nevin Climenhaga  11. The Best of Everything Graham Oppy