The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Story of Philosophers, God, and Evil
by Steven Nadler
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Description
In the spring of 1672, the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz arrived in Paris on a furtive diplomatic mission. That project was abandoned quickly, but Leibniz remained in Paris with a singular goal: to get the most out of the city's intellectual and cultural riches. He benefited, above all, from his friendships with France's two greatest philosopher-theologians of the period, Antoine Arnauld and Nicolas de Malebranche. The interactions of these three men would show more prove of great consequence not only for Leibniz's own philosophy but for the development of modern philosophical and religious thought. Despite their wildly different views and personalities, the three philosophers shared a single, passionate concern: resolving the problem of evil. Why is it that, in a world created by an allpowerful, all-wise, and infinitely just God, there is sin and suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people, and good things to bad people? This is the story of a clash between radically divergent worldviews. But it is also a very personal story. At its heart are the dramatic-and often turbulent-relationships between three brilliant and resolute individuals. In this lively and engaging book, Steven Nadler brings to life a debate that obsessed its participants, captivated European intellectuals, and continues to inform our ways of thinking about God, morality, and the world. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A good example of popular philosophy, this about the great debate between Antoine Arnauld, Nicolas Malebranche, and Gottfried Leibniz about the nature of good and evil. Readable to the layman while still digging quite deeply into the philosophical discussions.
If you enjoy reading about the history of philosophy, this is a great book. It presents the history of ideas, and the strange ways that thoughts come about. If you're not interested in the subject material, this is not a book that will spark it. If you are new to philosophy, then this book will definitely drag in places where the author goes into depth about the arguments between the various thinkers in history. As someone with a graduate degree in the philosophy of religion, this was fascinating and enjoyable. It was outside the focus of my field, which made it a "for fun" read to me. Highly recommended - for the right reader.
Boring. More of a history than a philosophy book. Just not compelling to me at this moment in time to read the intricacies of dead white men telling us about god and how to understand the world. Read about 80 pages. DNF
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Author Information
37+ Works 1,904 Members
Steven Nadler is Vilas Research Professor and the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His many books include Rembrandt's Jews, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Spinoza: A Life, and (with Lawrence Shapiro) When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People: How Philosophy Can Save Us from Ourselves show more (Princeton). show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Il migliore dei mondi possibili: una storia di filosofi, di Dio e del male
- Original title
- The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Story of Philosophers, God, and Evil
- People/Characters
- Antoine Arnauld; Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz; Malebranche, Nicolas de, 1638-1715; Baruch Spinoza
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, History, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 190.9 — Philosophy & psychology Modern western philosophy Modern western and other noneastern philosophy Biography; Enlightenment - History By Place
- LCC
- B801 .N33 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Philosophy (General) By period Modern
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 187
- Popularity
- 174,972
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.71)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, Italian, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 2
