Based on "A Passion for Wisdom" by Robert Solomon & Kathleen Higgins

1. . Leibniz: this universe must be in reality better than every other possible universe... Leibniz Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716)

2. Master Pangloss taught the metaphysico-theologo- cosmolonigology. He could prove to admiration that there is no effect without a cause; and, that in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of all castles, and My Lady the best of all possible baronesses. "It is demonstrable," said he, "that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end. Observe, for instance, the nose is formed for spectacles, therefore we wear spectacles. The legs are visibly designed for stockings, accordingly we wear stockings... Voltaire, Candide François-Marie Arouet Voltaire 1694-1778

3. ..if you wish for superficiality incarnate, you have only to read that charmingly written Theodicy of Leibniz, in which he sought to justify the ways of God to man, and to prove that the world we live in is the best of possible worlds... William James, Pragmatism I

4. Evil, pain, and suffering – serious topics, but not without an aspect of levity. Consider, for instance, the following soliloquy from Woody Allen's Love and Death...

5. “ To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.” - 0:50 -

6. More quotes from Love and Death ... Sonja : Judgment of any system, or a priori relationship or phenomenon exists in an irrational, or metaphysical, or at least epistemological contradiction to an abstract empirical concept such as being, or to be, or to occur in the thing itself, or of the thing itself. Boris : Yes, I've said that many times. == Boris : If it turns out that there IS a God, I don't think that he's evil. I think that the worst you can say about him is that basically he's an underachiever. == Soldier : Oh, God is testing us. Boris : If He's gonna test us, why doesn't He give us a written? == Boris : Nothingness... non-existence... black emptiness... Sonja : What did you say? Boris : Oh, I was just planning my future... == Man consists of two parts, his mind and his body, only the body has more fun.

7. “ What if there is no God? If only I could see a miracle ...” [like his Uncle picking up the check...] Intro... 5"+ "What would Socrates say?"... The mind embraces all the higher things like poetry and philosophy, but the body has all the fun." "If there is a God, I don't think he's evil . The worst you could say about him is He's an under- achiever." - Ending

8. Most people get a fair amount of fun out of their lives, but on balance... ...life is suffering. Only the very young or the very foolish imagine otherwise. George Orwell

9. So long as little children are allowed to suffer, there is no true love in this world. Isadora Duncan