Lesson plan

Théodicée

(from French: Essays of Theodicy on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil), more simply known as , is a book of philosophy by the German polymath Gottfried Leibniz. The book, published in 1710, introduced the term theodicy, and its optimistic approach to the problem of evil is thought to have inspired Voltaire's Candide (albeit satirically). Much of the work consists of a response to the ideas of the French philosopher Pierre Bayle and based on the author's conversation with Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, with whom Leibniz carried on a debate for many years. was the only book Leibniz published during his lifetime; his other book, New Essays on Human Understanding, was published after his death, in 1765.

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Article summary

(from French: Essays of Theodicy on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil), more simply known as , is a book of philosophy by the German polymath Gottfried Leibniz. The book, published in 1710, introduced the term theodicy, and its optimistic approach to the problem of evil is thought to have inspired Voltaire's Candide (albeit satirically). Much of the work consists of a response to the ideas of the French philosopher Pierre Bayle and based on the author's conversation with Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, with whom Leibniz carried on a debate for many years. was the only book Leibniz published during his lifetime; his other book, New Essays on Human Understanding, was published after his death, in 1765.

Key claims

  1. publication date: 1710 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 1765 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "1710". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "1765". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1356259252

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.