Leibniz on Meliorism

Leibniz claims that the actual world is the best of all possible worlds. However, this raises the question of whether there can be improvements in the world from moment to moment. This paper examines Leibniz’s view on meliorism, or progress in the best of all possible worlds. Against static, developmental, and inconsistency readings of meliorism, it is argued that a systematic progress reading should be preferred, in order to preserve Leibniz’s ethical commitments. On this view, the world increases in metaphysical, physical, and moral perfection, and this can be rendered consistent with Leibniz’s fundamental metaphysical commitments (e.g. his views on activity and passivity).