The Best of All Possible Worlds

John O'Loughlin wrote the greater part of this aphoristic philosophy project during the better part of a wet and windy week in Galway City, the Republic of Ireland, when his health, bad as it had been back in London, was at an all-time low and every page was an immense struggle with his physical condition. Not having systematically undertaken any such project for several years, he was a little unsure that he would be able to proceed with any confidence but, as things turned out, his old habits of scrawling in a notebook with a biro were soon resurrected, and he quickly found, in spite of poor health, that ideas came in no short supply – indeed, that the spirit was willing even if the flesh, decidedly weakened by illness, made moving the pen no easy matter! Nonetheless, much of the work turned out to be less of a resumé of his philosophy, including what had already been committed to weblogs, than an exploration of new territory, in which he had to struggle with a variety of conflicting possibilities and strive to reach as coherent an assessment and conclusion as possible. In retrospect Mr O'Loughlin can say that without subsequent revision back in London and some additional appended material, the results would have been inconclusive, if not misleading. But as things turned out, much of this newer material has now passed closer examination and will, we believe, stand the test of time as further evidence of philosophical truth, adding a veneer of certitude to his finished product.