more from John Stuart Mill

Single Idea 21329

[catalogued under 29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 3. Problem of Evil / d. Natural Evil]

Full Idea

All of this [cruel killing] nature does with the most supercilious disregard both of mercy and of justice, emptying her shafts upon the best and noblest indifferently with the meanest and worst

Gist of Idea

Nature dispenses cruelty with no concern for either mercy or justice

Source

John Stuart Mill (Nature and Utility of Religion [1874], p.115)

Book Reference

'The Existence of God', ed/tr. Hick,John [Macmillan 1964], p.115


A Reaction

The existence of an afterlife at least offers an opportunity to rectify any injustice, but that hardly meets the question of why there was injustice in the first place. It would be odd if it actually is justice, but none of us can see why that is so.