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Full Idea
Evils themselves serve a greater good, and the fact that pains are found in minds is necessary if they are to reach greater pleasures.
Gist of Idea
Evil serves a greater good, and pain is necessary for higher pleasure
Source
Gottfried Leibniz (A Résumé of Metaphysics [1697], §23)
Book Ref
Leibniz,Gottfried: 'Philosophical Writings', ed/tr. Parkinson,G.H.R. [Dent 1973], p.147
A Reaction
How much pain is needed to qualify for the 'greater pleasures'? Some people receive an awful lot. I am not sure exactly how an evil can 'serve' a greater good. Is he recommending evil?
| 2658 | The gods blame men for having vices, but they could have given us enough reason to avoid them [Cicero] |
| 19338 | Augustine said evil does not really exist, and evil is a limitation in goodness [Augustine, by Perkins] |
| 5037 | God doesn't decide that Adam will sin, but that sinful Adam's existence is to be preferred [Leibniz] |
| 5050 | Evil serves a greater good, and pain is necessary for higher pleasure [Leibniz] |
| 3956 | People are responsible because they have limited power, though this ultimately derives from God [Berkeley] |
| 1474 | Moral evil may be acceptable to God because it allows free will (even though we don't see why this is necessary) [Plantinga, by PG] |