Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

"Theodicy" is a book of philosophy by the German polymath Gottfried Leibniz published in 1710, whose optimistic approach to the problem of evil is thought to have inspired Voltaire's «Candide». Much of the work consists of a response to the ideas of the French philosopher Pierre Bayle, with whom Leibniz carried on a debate for many years. The «Theodicy» tries to justify the apparent imperfections of the world by claiming that it is optimal among all possible worlds. It must be the best...