Creating the best possible world: Some problems from Parfit

Sophia 48 (2):143-150 (2009)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

It is sometimes argued that if God were to exist, then the actual world would be the best possible world. However, given that the actual world is clearly not the best possible world, then God doesn’t exist. In response, some have argued that the world could always be improved with the creation of new people and that there is thus no best possible world. I argue that this reasoning gives rise to an instance of Parfit’s mere addition paradox and should thus be rejected. Others (Robert Adams, in particular) have argued that the actual world may, in fact, be the best possible world, at least for all actual people. I argue that this reasoning gives rise to Parfit’s non-identity problem and should thus be rejected.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Divine Unsurpassability.Klaas Kraay - 2007 - Philosophia 35 (3-4):293-300.
Cosmological Contingency and Theistic Explanation.Philip Quinn - 2005 - Faith and Philosophy 22 (5):581-600.
Absolute Actuality and the Plurality of Worlds.Phillip Bricker - 2006 - Philosophical Perspectives 20 (1):41–76.
God, the Best, and Evil.Bruce Langtry - 2008 - Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mere addition and the best of all possible worlds.Stephen Grover - 1999 - Religious Studies 35 (2):173-190.
Leibniz, creation and the best of all possible worlds.Jesse R. Steinberg - 2007 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 62 (3):123 - 133.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-05-09

Downloads
80 (#190,902)

6 months
3 (#447,120)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Daniel B Cohen
Charles Sturt University

Citations of this work

Incommensurability, slight pains and God.Morgan Luck - 2014 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 75 (2):79-85.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Reasons and Persons.Derek Parfit - 1984 - Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press.
The existence of God.Richard Swinburne - 1979 - New York: Oxford University Press.
The Existence of God.Richard Swinburne - 1979 - Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press UK.
The Existence of God.Richard Swinburne - 1979 - Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press.
The Existence of God.Richard Swinburne - 1981 - Philosophical Quarterly 31 (122):85-88.

View all 13 references / Add more references