"But against the palpably sophistical proofs of Leibniz that this is the best of all possible worlds, we may even oppose seriously and honestly the proof that it is the worst of all possible worlds."
Born: 1788, in the free city of Gdansk (now part of Poland)
Died: 1860 in the free city of Frankfurt, a member of the German Confederation (now part of Germany)
Best known as an eloquent defender of pessimism
Principal work: The World as Will and Representation (first edition, 1819)
Principal influences: Immanuel Kant, Plato and Indian Philosophy
Principal opponent: G. W. F. Hegel (Berlin, 1770-1831)