The Problem of Evil
In this essay I will be discussing Russell and Leibniz’s view on the argument from design and the problem of evil. Russell’s view is that an omnipotence and omniscience God would not create a world filled with so much evil as it exists today. Leibniz’s view is that the world we live in is the best of all possible worlds, and that the world requires evil for the greater good. I will be considering the differences between Russell and Leibniz’s arguments based on whether or not God would create a world where evil exists.
The problem of evil is a question that Theists have been trying to deal with for centuries. Bertrand Russell asks, if you had the same powers as God, would you not be able to create a better world than one filled with evils like the Ku Klux Klan and Fascists. If God exists, then…show more content… The best possible world is not one that excludes evil, because evil is necessary if we want good. He uses an example of an army preferring a situation where they receive victory but suffer slight damage, than a situation where they receive no damage and no victory as well. The meaning is that imperfection is needed for a greater perfection to exist in the world, and evil is needed to bring out humanities best aspects. Leibniz’s second argument is that this world is the best of all possible worlds. Since God is omniscient and omnipotent, he wouldn’t have any obstacles in creating a perfect world, and the fact that God is omnibenevolent means he would create the best world. Therefore, the world we live in now is the best world. God could have had an idea for billions of Universes, but there is only one real Universe that exists. Since God is good, as is one of his defining traits, the Universe that God chooses to exist must be the best of all possible worlds, because if God chose a Universe that was less-good, then God himself would not be