It seems Thomas Aquinas thought this is the best of all possible worlds, not an
unreasonable position to take. He has a nice analogy for why I should not think things
would be better if I were in charge and changed them to fit my way of thinking:
In the words of Augustine (Super. Gen. contr. Manich. i): "If an
unskilled person enters the workshop of an artificer he sees in it many
appliances of which he does not understand the use, and which, if he is
a foolish fellow, he considers unnecessary. Moreover, should he
carelessly fall into the fire, or wound himself with a sharp-edged tool,
he is under the impression that many of the things there are hurtful;
whereas the craftsman, knowing their use, laughs at his folly. And thus
some people presume to find fault with many things in this world,
through not seeing the reasons for their existence. For though not
required for the furnishing of our house, these things are necessary for
the perfection of the universe." (Aquinas, Summa, 72:1, "The
work of
the sixth day")
Just so, the diseases that afflict us, and even the mosquito, might be necessary for
this to be the world we want.
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