Leah Elizabeth Hasdan
PHL206
Midterm
February 5th, 2016
The Dialogue of Leibniz and Voltaire Concerning the Topic of Evil
Voltaire: “It is the concern of physical evil that I would like to call attention to; it is in the macabre events such as plagues and earthquakes that call into question the weakness of our nature. If we regard this world, such as it is, the best of all possible systems, then how are we to hope for a happy future state? Are nations not in the wrong to seek out the origin of moral and physical evil if the evils that overwhelm man end in general good?”
Leibniz: “If the world is a self-contained, unified series of succession of infinity of things, then God chooses between possible worlds with an indifference but not with …show more content…
These boats differ only in the cargo they carry—some boats carry wood or stone in various degrees of weight. Boats that are the most burdened with cargo will not sail slower due to their weight, but because they are less porous and are more charged with matter. The matter itself that passes through the pores is inclined to the fluctuation of speed (but does not impact it directly) but acts as to moderate the receptivity. This inclination gives matter the repugnance of being moved and thus obtains a natural inertia. “
“Consequently, the current serves as the action of God…who is the cause of the material element responsible for the boats’ speed without being the cause of the limits to the speed. “
“Thus, God is the cause of perfection in nature and the cause of the actions of the creatures…. however it is in the creature’s limitations of receptivity that are the cause of defect in its action. …show more content…
These fixed laws of fate you speak of…are the most simple and uniform laws in place, which create a harmonious world with laws that least restrict one another. The physical evils you observe in the world are disorders, irregularities, which cannot be explained; however these monstrosities are nonetheless a part of the whole, or a part of the universal order. Is it not, then, better for the creator to shape a universe with defects—or live amongst ill virtues as you claim—than to live in a world where the creator intervenes with the fabric of the universe? Must not irregularities be in order to achieve complexity? The director of nature’s course created the most productive world, and even if we adopt your position that there exits overwhelmingly more vice than virtue in the world—for all we may suspect—humans are not the only rational
PHL206
Midterm
February 5th, 2016
The Dialogue of Leibniz and Voltaire Concerning the Topic of Evil
Voltaire: “It is the concern of physical evil that I would like to call attention to; it is in the macabre events such as plagues and earthquakes that call into question the weakness of our nature. If we regard this world, such as it is, the best of all possible systems, then how are we to hope for a happy future state? Are nations not in the wrong to seek out the origin of moral and physical evil if the evils that overwhelm man end in general good?”
Leibniz: “If the world is a self-contained, unified series of succession of infinity of things, then God chooses between possible worlds with an indifference but not with …show more content…
These boats differ only in the cargo they carry—some boats carry wood or stone in various degrees of weight. Boats that are the most burdened with cargo will not sail slower due to their weight, but because they are less porous and are more charged with matter. The matter itself that passes through the pores is inclined to the fluctuation of speed (but does not impact it directly) but acts as to moderate the receptivity. This inclination gives matter the repugnance of being moved and thus obtains a natural inertia. “
“Consequently, the current serves as the action of God…who is the cause of the material element responsible for the boats’ speed without being the cause of the limits to the speed. “
“Thus, God is the cause of perfection in nature and the cause of the actions of the creatures…. however it is in the creature’s limitations of receptivity that are the cause of defect in its action. …show more content…
These fixed laws of fate you speak of…are the most simple and uniform laws in place, which create a harmonious world with laws that least restrict one another. The physical evils you observe in the world are disorders, irregularities, which cannot be explained; however these monstrosities are nonetheless a part of the whole, or a part of the universal order. Is it not, then, better for the creator to shape a universe with defects—or live amongst ill virtues as you claim—than to live in a world where the creator intervenes with the fabric of the universe? Must not irregularities be in order to achieve complexity? The director of nature’s course created the most productive world, and even if we adopt your position that there exits overwhelmingly more vice than virtue in the world—for all we may suspect—humans are not the only rational