The Problem of Evil: Selected Readings

Of all the issues in the philosophy of religion, the problem of evil arguably commands more attention that any other. This text, which is broad in scope, is organized in a way that clearly exhibits the main structure of the overall problem as it has been treated in Western theistic traditions generally and the Christian tradition specifically. ""The Problem of Evil"" contains both classical and contemporary pieces arranged into four major sections. The first section contains classical statements of the problem, including both traditional and modern statements from the Bible and world literature as well as philosophy and theology. The next section discusses versions of the problem of evil and contains pieces discussing the logical, evidential and existential versions as well as selections offering responses. The book then examines perspectives in theodicy, including Augustinian, Iranaen and process theodicies. The last section, issues in the problem of evil, looks at omnipotence and free will, natural evils and natural law, and the question of whether God must create the best possible world.