Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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OPTIMISM

The view that good will always prevail over evil, that there is a greater amount of good in the world than of evil, and that the world is essentially good. Various premises have been offered in support of optimism. God, who is all-good, was thought to have created the best possible world. The developments of modern science have encouraged the notion of universal evolution; what exists is good and every change is inevitable progress. Emotionally, optimists are those who consider only the pleasing and cheerful aspects of life while ignoring anything disagreeable. (Etym. Latin optimus, the best.)