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You cannot turn on your television or open up a newspaper these days without hearing or reading about some war to the east or even a murder just a couple of blocks away. It seems as if this world is fast becoming a place of evil and despair. In this essay I will explore the �problem of evil,� by first of all, introducing the problem and explaining why it is a problem, then, secondly I will introduce Leibniz�s (1646-1716) response to this �problem� that says that this is the best of all possible worlds. After, and only after we have done so, we can tie everything together and show why the problem of evil need not be necessarily considered a problem.
The �problem of evil� only exists for the theist. I am not saying that evil does not affect the atheist or skeptic. These �evils� seem to touch everyone�s life without caring if you are: Muslim or Christian, male or female, or even, white or black. However, the problem for the theist is in their beliefs. To them, God is an all-powerful and all-good being who has lived for eternity. But if indeed this god is existing then why is there so much evil in this word? It seems as if God is neither omnibenevolent or omnipotent. Let us take the fact that God is omnibenevolent for granted. And let us also take the fact that he is omnipotent for granted as well. Taking these two for granted, we must reject the idea that there is evil. This, however, is absurd because there is so much natural evil in this world. The problem must be with one of the ideas we took for granted. This is the logical and simplest way to look at the problem but there are ways to get around it and actually make the problem become an asset to the theist.
As soon as we realize what the �problem of evil� is, we can then move on and start to show that this �problem of evil� is indeed not a problem. Leibniz, a seventeenth century philosopher, argued that this world �must be the most perfect actual world which is possible.� (Leibniz, G VI 603: L 639). This idea, however, seems to be a little hard to grasp at first because it does not seem as if this world is in fact perfect. There are many problems in this world that do not seem to be necessary because, �issues of good and evil rest on God�s intellect rather than his will� (Blumenfeld 38). However maybe these beneficial yet sometimes perilous aspects of life are actually necessary for our world to be as perfect as possible.
Could it be true that God has created the best of all possible worlds? Even amongst the infinite amounts of possibilities this is the one that God has created and it is as perfect as can be. There are many reasons why one could make a claim of such a nature, some are hard to understand while others are easier to see.
Let us take gravity for example. If this world did not have any gravity then the human race would not exist as we know it. We would probably at best be almost like an ameba capable of reasoning. This would not be a very fruitful life. Without gravity, eating would be a challenge, our landscape would be very different and so on. It is therefore understood that gravity is very beneficial to everyday living. Unfortunately, gravity is not only our friend but also at times our foe. It is gravity that causes rocks to fall to the ground causing injury or even death to humans and animals alike. The benefits of gravity however greatly outweigh the devastating consequences.
Let us take another example just to show that this may in fact be the best of all possible worlds. The sun is the key to our existence. Without the energy given off by our sun, life would cease to exist. Sunlight gives the necessary energy so that plants can grow, so they can produce the oxygen that is essential to survival. The sun also, among its other hundreds of tasks, heats the Earth to livable temperatures. The Sun however is not all beneficial. It can also hurt us. If we stand out in direct sunlight for too long our skin will burn. These burns may not only be painful but can under certain circumstances kill (e.g.. Melanoma). Even with all the pain that the Sun may cause we do indeed need it to live. Again the benefits far outweigh the sometimes deadly consequences.
These are practical examples that show us very simply that our lives would be so greatly affected if gravity or the Sun were nonexistent and that these are therefore beneficial to us even though there are sometimes deadly outcomes. Maybe out of all the endless possibilities that God has to offer, these were the characteristics that are the most advantageous to us.
What if we went a little deeper into our observation of this �problem of evil�? �God has chosen that world which is the most perfect, that is to say, which is at the same time the simplest phenomena.� (G IV 43: L 306; Cf G VI 238, 241: H 254-5, 257; G VI 603: L 639). When Leibniz says that something is the simplest he is referring to things like laws of nature. By choosing the simplest laws of nature, God is actually maximizing harmony. Take a human that wants to go for a walk, and he has two ways he can go: a simple one or a difficult one. Which is the most likely path that he will take? He will probably, in all likelihood, choose the simplest way. As humans, we are generally happiest when we can get from point A to point B without any difficulty. We can also assume that God has chosen the simplest world for us to maximize our happiness.
Another aspect that is important to look at is variety. Variety is important in our world because without variety we would theoretically become very bored and that would in turn cause a decrease in our personal pleasure. A loving, omnibenevolent God would not want to make his people live unhappily. It therefore seems as if variety also plays an important role in our happiness.
A world with no variety or complexity would in fact be a horrid world and a balance between the variety and simplicity must be present to maximize our happiness. But is our happiness what is important when discussing �The best of all possible worlds?� Morality may play an important part in our most perfect world, �for it seems to entail not only that the world contains as much happiness as possible, but that any difference in the total history of the universe, together with all of its consequences, would have yielded a morally inferior result.� (Blumenfeld 398)
The �problem of evil� has actually been discredited by showing us that God can still be omnibenevolent and omnipotent even though our world is being plagued with evil. Because this world is theoretically the best of all possible worlds it is wrong to just discard the idea of or even belittle the existence of God. Leibniz�s argument helps show that God has not made a mistake by adding unnecessary evil into our lives or has been thoughtless in creation.
I am sure that tomorrow the pain and suffering in the world will still be plaguing this imperfect world and that it will never end. There will always be hate and prejudice. These evils are problematic to the world as a whole but should not necessarily be considered a problem. Leibniz has shown us that we should not see evil as a problem but should in fact be grateful because we are living in the best of all possible worlds.
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