Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) built one of philosophy’s boldest ideas challenging great thinkers of every faith: if G-d is all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good, then G-d would not create an ugly reality. For Leibniz, a devout Lutheran as well as a genius logician, this was not mere abstraction but a way to reconcile reason and a caring G d.

In his Theodicy (1710), Leibniz argues that G-d surveys infinite possible worlds and chooses the one with the greatest balance of goodness, order, and variety. The slogan that sticks to him is “the best of all possible worlds.” He does not mean every event looks good up close. He means that when you take the whole system together, no other world would be better.

Despite Leibniz being the co-inventor of calculus and an undeniable polymath, his view requires scrutiny. Leibniz says evil is real but compatible with a world that is still best overall. He separates moral evil (what people choose), physical evil (pain, illness, disaster), and metaphysical limitation (the finitude of created things).

Some goods require risk: free will allows love and virtue, but also cruelty; courage needs danger; mercy needs harm. He insists nothing happens without a reason, even if unseen. The world may........

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