Abstract
In this essay, I attempt to solve the problem of the existence of evil in a world created by an omniscient, omnibenevolent, omnipotent God. I conclude that evil exists because God wanted to create moral creatures. Because choice is necessary for morality, God created creatures with enormous capacities for choice—and therefore enormous capacities for evil. Material creatures are subject to pain and death because, for such creatures, moral choices are deeply serious. The laws that underlie the material world and from which material life arises are such that, from their workings out on a planet that can support life, natural evils happen.
Keywords
theodicy, evil, cosmos, problem of evil, morality, Nazis, God, sociobiology
How to Cite
Williams, P., (2001) “The Problem of Evil: A Solution From Science”, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 36(3), 563–574. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/0591-2385.00382