The Value of Life 195The main proponents of the first view—optimism—are
Shaftesbury and Leibniz^1 ; of the second view—pessi-
mism—the main proponents are Schopenhauer and Edu-
ard von Hartmann.^2
Leibniz believes this is the best of all possible worlds.
A better one is impossible, for God is good and wise. A
good Godwants to create the best of all worlds; a wise
God knows what is best. Such a God can distinguish the
best from all other (worse) possibilities. Only an evil or
unwise God could create a world worse than the best
possible.
Anyone who starts from this viewpoint finds it easy to
prescribe the direction that human activity must take to
contribute its share to the greatest good of the world. A
human being must only discover the counsels of God
and act accordingly. If we knowwhat God intends for
the world and the human race, then we shall alsodo what
is right. And we will gladly add our own good to the
good of the world. From the optimistic standpoint, then,
life is worth living. It must stimulate us to cooperative
participation.
- Anthony Ashely Cooper, third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671–1713),
English philosopher, tutored by Locke and much influenced by the
Cambridge Platonists, wroteCharacteristics of Men, Manners, Opin-
ions Times (1711) which became a chief source of English deism and
influenced Pope, Coleridge, Kant etc.; Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
(1646–1716) German philosopher and mathematician—perhaps the
last “universal” philosopher. - See notes p. 11 and p. 71.