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Single Idea 5752

[filed under theme 28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / a. Divine morality ]

Full Idea

A philosopher (possibly Epicurus) asked where evil comes from if there is a god, and where good comes from if there isn't.

Gist of Idea

Where does evil come from if there is a god; where does good come from if there isn't?

Source

Boethius (The Consolations of Philosophy [c.520], I.IV)

Book Ref

Boethius: 'The Consolations of Philosophy', ed/tr. Watts,V.E. [Penguin 1969], p.44

A Reaction

A nice question. The best known answer to the first question is 'Satan'. Some would say that in the second case good is impossible, but I would have thought that the only possible answer is 'mankind'.

The 21 ideas from 'The Consolations of Philosophy'

23308 Reasoning relates to understanding as time does to eternity [Boethius, by Sorabji]
5752 Where does evil come from if there is a god; where does good come from if there isn't? [Boethius]
5753 The regular events of this life could never be due to chance [Boethius]
5754 You can't control someone's free mind, only their body and possessions [Boethius]
5756 Happiness is a good which once obtained leaves nothing more to be desired [Boethius]
5757 God is the supreme good, so no source of goodness could take precedence over God [Boethius]
5758 God is the good [Boethius]
5759 Varied aims cannot be good because they differ, but only become good when they unify [Boethius]
5760 The power through which creation remains in existence and motion I call 'God' [Boethius]
5761 God can do anything, but he cannot do evil, so evil must be nothing [Boethius]
5763 The bad seek the good through desire, but the good through virtue, which is more natural [Boethius]
5762 The wicked want goodness, so they would not be wicked if they obtained it [Boethius]
5764 When people fall into wickedness they lose their human nature [Boethius]
5765 The reward of the good is to become gods [Boethius]
5766 If you could see the plan of Providence, you would not think there was evil anywhere [Boethius]
16692 Divine eternity is the all-at-once and complete possession of unending life [Boethius]
5767 Rational natures require free will, in order to have power of judgement [Boethius]
5768 God's universal foreknowledge seems opposed to free will [Boethius]
5769 Does foreknowledge cause necessity, or necessity cause foreknowledge? [Boethius]
5770 Rewards and punishments are not deserved if they don't arise from free movement of the mind [Boethius]
5771 Knowledge of present events doesn't make them necessary, so future events are no different [Boethius]