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Single Idea 19337

[filed under theme 29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 3. Problem of Evil / a. Problem of Evil ]

Full Idea

There is this question of natural theology, how a sole Principle, all-good, all-wise and all-powerful, has been able to admit evil, and especially to permit sin, and how it could resolve to make the wicked often happy and the good unhappy?

Gist of Idea

How can an all-good, wise and powerful being allow evil, sin and apparent injustice?

Source

Gottfried Leibniz (The Theodicy [1710], p.098), quoted by Franklin Perkins - Leibniz: Guide for the Perplexed 2.IV

Book Ref

Perkins,Franklin: 'Leibniz: Guide for the Perplexed' [Continuum 2007], p.42

A Reaction

His answer is, roughly, that there is an unavoidable trade-off, which humans cannot fully understand. Personally I would say that if there is a God, the evidence for his benevolence towards humanity is not encouraging.

The 16 ideas from 'The Theodicy'

19437 Prayers are useful, because God foresaw them in his great plan [Leibniz]
19337 How can an all-good, wise and powerful being allow evil, sin and apparent injustice? [Leibniz]
19345 Being confident of God's goodness, we disregard the apparent local evils in the visible world [Leibniz]
19325 God is the first reason of things; our experiences are contingent, and contain no necessity [Leibniz]
19326 God must be intelligible, to select the actual world from the possibilities [Leibniz]
19327 The intelligent cause must be unique and all-perfect, to handle all the interconnected possibilities [Leibniz]
19346 Most people facing death would happily re-live a similar life, with just a bit of variety [Leibniz]
19340 Metaphysical evil is imperfection; physical evil is suffering; moral evil is sin [Leibniz]
19331 Will is an inclination to pursue something good [Leibniz]
19367 Saying we must will whatever we decide to will leads to an infinite regress [Leibniz]
19351 Perfections of soul subordinate the body, but imperfections of soul submit to the body [Leibniz]
19344 God prefers men to lions, but might not exterminate lions to save one man [Leibniz]
19335 Reasonings have a natural ordering in God's understanding, but only a temporal order in ours [Leibniz]
19330 If justice is arbitrary, or fixed but not observed, or not human justice, this undermines God [Leibniz]
19329 The laws of physics are wonderful evidence of an intelligent and free being [Leibniz]
19366 You can't assess moral actions without referring to the qualities of character that produce them [Leibniz]