Possibility
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| + | "[[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz|Leibniz]]'s statement that "[[Best of all possible worlds|we live in the best of all possible worlds]]" drew scorn, most notably from [[Voltaire]], who lampooned it in his comic novel ''[[Candide]]'' by having the character ''[[Pangloss|Dr. Pangloss]]'' (a parody of Leibniz) repeat it like a [[mantra]]. Thus the adjective "panglossian", describing one so naive as to believe that the world about us is the best [[possibility|possible]] one." --Sholem Stein | ||
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| '''Possibility''' is the condition or fact of being '''possible'''. The [[Latin]] origins of the word hint at [[ability]]. Possibility also refers to something that "could happen", that is not precluded by the [[fact]]s, but usually not [[probability|probable]]. '''Impossible''' denotes that something cannot happen or be done. | '''Possibility''' is the condition or fact of being '''possible'''. The [[Latin]] origins of the word hint at [[ability]]. Possibility also refers to something that "could happen", that is not precluded by the [[fact]]s, but usually not [[probability|probable]]. '''Impossible''' denotes that something cannot happen or be done. | ||
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| * [[Possibility theory]] | * [[Possibility theory]] | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Possible world]] | ||
| *[[Impossibility]] | *[[Impossibility]] | ||
| *[[Death is the possibility of the absolute impossibility of Dasein]], a dictum by Heidegger | *[[Death is the possibility of the absolute impossibility of Dasein]], a dictum by Heidegger | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
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"Leibniz's statement that "we live in the best of all possible worlds" drew scorn, most notably from Voltaire, who lampooned it in his comic novel Candide by having the character Dr. Pangloss (a parody of Leibniz) repeat it like a mantra. Thus the adjective "panglossian", describing one so naive as to believe that the world about us is the best possible one." --Sholem Stein |
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Possibility is the condition or fact of being possible. The Latin origins of the word hint at ability. Possibility also refers to something that "could happen", that is not precluded by the facts, but usually not probable. Impossible denotes that something cannot happen or be done.
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See also
- Possible world
- Impossibility
- Death is the possibility of the absolute impossibility of Dasein, a dictum by Heidegger
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Possibility" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
