The Best Possible World

It is interesting to look at the history of philosophy and compare and contrast all the common themes among the great philosophers. One of the most persistent themes in philosophical discussions is that of optimism and pessimism. I find that Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), has some of the most convincing, if unconventional arguments. Although most philosophers view the world with a pessimistic attitude, Leibniz's perspective is strikingly utopian and buoyant. He believes that God thought about all the different possible templates that the world could be created in, and chose the one in which we live because it's the best. His argument is based off of the premise that God could have created a world with no evil and no bad things, but that world would deprive free wills from humans. Therefore, because a world without evil is also a world without free will, it is not the best possible world. Leibniz's expresses this theory among others in his "Principle of sufficient Reason" which states that for everything, there must be adequate reason for it to exist. I do believe in Leibniz's hypothesis that this is the best world, because without the world's imperfections, we would not be able to appreciate how amazing everything is. We wouldn't be able to "appreciate the sunshine without the rain", if you will. Can you imagine how the world would be if you didn't have to go through hardships. Many people ask for a world like that everyday. But i believe hardships and obstacles are what makes the world interesting and rewarding for someone that achieves his/her goals. If there were no evils, there would be no fear, no obstacles, no overwhelming tasks. However, without all this, i think the world be unlivable to a certain extent. Therefore, I think we all need to stop asking ourselves "what if" and embrace the world the way it is.