Don Page - Is This the Best of All Possible Worlds?

Is this a joke? Our world, with its vast evils, the 'best possible world'? It seems absurd. Yet some do claim that ultimately our world will be the best possible world, because the sum total of all the good, primarily generated by human free will and divine providence, will overpower all the obvious evils. Perhaps the calculus should include the entire cosmos?



Don N. Page is a Canadian theoretical physicist at the University of Alberta, Canada.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[RVAValues]

It never ceases to amaze me how small the theist’s god is. As if it’s been pushed into a smaller and smaller gap where it can hide.

[MyMaggie]

It’s amazing the effort and twisting of logic some, even very intelligent people, put into believing in a god or gods. The best possible world with so much pain, violence, starvation, hurt, despair is the best a god can do just because this god wouldn’t be happy if people were happier and had less pain? This guy really struggles to explain tragedy and evil with a so called loving god. Many humans seem to have a built in evolutionary desperation or need to explain away "their" god 's evil violent ways rather than just see the world for as it is, as the whole universe is, which has nothing to do with any gods.

[johnyharris]

Don Page acts like some advanced AI humanoid that has been instructed, against its will, to defend an irrational position, against its core protocol, and now it's trying it's best not to self-destruct.

[haroonaverroes]

they put a heavy burden on the alleged imaginary gods! huge imagination!

[quakers]

Not sure about the best of all possible worlds but the reality is that this is the only possible world . I mean some people have more comfortable lives while others live in a nightmare. And certainly we can try to make our lives and other's lives better but there is only this reality and though we may have our own unique point of view this world, this reality is the only one we get, no going back in time, no do overs. But mostly there is no God or in less stark terms the physical world is the only world that exists. There are things that amaze, things that we don't understand, things like infinity that mind can not comprehend but there is yet to be found anything for which God is the best or only answer and is required.

[JungleJargon]

The best of all possible worlds is one where you could have done better. The truth keeps you from falling on your face. Our hope is for a world where we will never mess up again.

[KestyJoe]

An excellent demonstration that Christianity makes smart people think dumb things.

[haroonaverroes]

good and evil are not universal concepts, they are restricted to humankind, there is free will but within arena with different time concept "similar to someone built a stage", so called super-deterministic partially correct but doesn't eliminate free will "stage".
this existence is far more complicated than so-called god capabilities !

[robertstan]

perfect beings don't have desires, as they need nothing, so page is really describing an imperfect creator, which can't really be then considered god

[ApPersonaNonGrata]

"Is This the Best of All Possible Worlds?"
--
Who can even ask that question
and actually think it's a legit question
except someone who is either clinically insane or high af?

[kubexiu]

, , I can't prove you're wrong but I have proposal" this is tragedy.

[kos-mos]

Adding god to a conversation never answers anything.

[nubianpwr]

I'd like to hear more of this guys thinking and philosophy - great content!

[jamespowers]

If this is the best, I don't want to see the worse.

[gerwinfriedrichs]

I think he's making God too human. He's omnipotent. What would he care about happiness? I don't think so.

[janhoogendijk]

Everything is coming from nothing.And the power of nothing is making everything possible. So everything and nothing are the true wonders.

[haroonaverroes]

why god does not talk to humans directly instead of keeping himself hidden ?! to test the irrationals !

[JustAThought]

Before asking this question, perhaps we should ask what is the purpose of reality? And, what is the purpose of each human individual?

[mockupguy]

“Best” is rather vague. Best for what? Best for who? Maybe earth is a tiny minute part in a scheme so grand we can never fathom it and our flawed and mediocre lives are just what’s needed. Like a single grain of salt in an enormous stew.

[peweegangloku]

How can this be the best possible world when God's word, the Bible, says: " 'he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.'  And the One seated on the throne said: 'Look! I am making all things new.' Also he says: 'Write, for these words are faithful and true' "? - Revelation 21:4, 5