Francis Berger
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Voltaire Missed the Big Point In His Criticism of Leibnizian Optimism

8/15/2019

4 Comments

 
At its most basic level, Voltaire's Candide is an open assault against Leibniz's philosophical optimism encapsulated in the phrase "this is the best of all possible worlds." Though Voltaire's satirical rejection of the notion that all is for the best draws attention to some of the dangers inherent in an optimistic philosophy, I cannot help but believe Voltaire's missed the big point Leibniz had made when he declared the world to be "the best of all possible worlds."

If we believe the world to be divinely created by a loving parent (or parents), and if we believe we are souls that, with the help of God, chose to incarnate into the world for the purpose of spiritual development and learning, then Leibniz's "best of all possible worlds" declaration begins to sound less and less outlandish. We chose to come into the world at a specific time as incarnated individuals, under unique circumstances, and with the potential of unique experiences tailored specifically for us and our spiritual development, experiences that include suffering and evil.

Though Voltaire saw no redeeming qualities in the evil and suffering his characters encountered in the novella, evil and suffering can, in fact, have redeeming qualities for us as individuals if we view these negatives through the lens of our spiritual development. Of course, we cannot always consciously know what these redeeming qualities are, nor should become Panglosses and make attempts to find the good behind every cause in this world because there may not actually be any residual good that comes from a specific episode of suffering or evil in this world. The 'good' an episode of evil and suffering contains may reside entirely outside of our world. 

​Voltaire does not consider these possibilities at all in Candide, which is why his criticism of Leibnizian optimism, though overwhelmingly convincing and entertaining at the surface level, becomes increasingly strained when deeper metaphysical considerations are included in the mix. 
4 Comments
William James Tychonievich link
8/17/2019 17:43:31

A truly omnipotent God could make his omelettes without breaking eggs. Therefore, God is manifestly not omnipotent.

A God who truly created us would have created us as he wants us to be, and we would therefore already be that way, without any need for "development." Therefore, God manifestly did not create us in the fullest sense of that word.

Candide soundly refutes "classical" (Hellenized) theology. The choice is now between atheism and something like Mormonism.

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Francis Berger
8/18/2019 10:17:07

@ Wm - I am a shoddy theologian at best, but for what its worth, here's my take on the optimism Voltaire dismisses in Candide.

In my mind, God creating us "as He would have wanted us to be" and allowing us to live in this world without any possibility of or need for spiritual development through our mortal experiences would result in a state of passivity and inertia. It would also nullify any notion of free will or agency.

Leibniz's optimism is that this world, with all its inherent evil and imperfections intact, is indeed the best of all possible worlds. It is created by a loving God who desires what is best for us individually. Leibniz's optimism requires hope, faith, and love, individuals can, through a process of learning from trial and error make the right choices in this mortal life and follow Christ into life everlasting. Atheism is a refusal of this hope, faith, and love - but individuals are free to make that choice.

I don't know enough about Mormonism to endorse it as the other choice, but if Mormonism includes the required hope and faith that God will ensure the experiences we need to experience in order to learn and develop in this world will come our way, then yes.

The basic essence of Leibniz's optimism - that this is indeed the best of all possible worlds - is not optional for Christians. That's the point Voltaire missed.

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William James Tychonievich link
8/18/2019 12:49:08

Frank, I agree with the idea that this word was created in such a way as to offer "experiences tailored specifically for us and our spiritual development, experiences that include suffering and evil." But the idea that the world is tailored specifically for us implies that God did not create us, that we were already there and that our natures and needs served as constraints on God's creative plans.

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Francis Berger
8/18/2019 15:35:33

@ Wm - " . . . implies that God did not create us, that we were already there and that our natures and needs served as constraints on God's creative plans."

This is intriguing and, I confess, not completely clear to me. I am still struggling with this concept, but I am open to the idea that there is a part of us God did not necessarily create, but perhaps only formed. Bruce has written about this quite often on his blog, and I gather he has collected some (perhaps most) of this from Mormon theology and thinkers like William Arkle and Rudolf Steiner.

It seems to boil down to what is meant by being a "child of God" or having a "divine spark" within oneself. I imagine this unique, existing-before-creation-individuality can serve as a constraint on God's creative plans, but I tend to consider this from the opposite perspective - that our individual, true selves (what Berdyaev referred to as Personality) have the capacity and potential to add to and expand creation; that we in essence are summoned to become co-creators in God's creative plans.

In this regard, I am drawn to Berdyaev's idea that we, as humans yearn to discover ourselves in God and that God, conversely, yearns to discover Himself within us - that development goes both ways. This concept fascinates me because it encapsulates the mystery and allure of Christianity and underscores the necessity of Christ.

Having said all of the above, I have to admit that I am somewhat nervously venturing out into the deep end of the pool whenever I start to consider these things.

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