theodicy

theodicy
In metaphysics, representation of the world as God's creation offered a method of demonstrating that the world must have certain characteristics, often ones which contradicted commonsense experience. Thus, from God's goodness and omnipotence it could be deduced that the created world must itself be good, despite the appearance of evil and suffering. The philosophical optimism of Leibniz and his followers (‘all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds’) was ruthlessly satirized by Voltaire in Candide. The role of theodicies as reconciling, conservative ideologies has been noted by Max Weber among other sociologists of religion, but they may also have critical implications.

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