THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Thomas Aquinas on Problem of Evil

Thomas Aquinas on Problem of Evil

Introduction

The problem of evil or even paradox of Epicurus is studied in philosophy of religion, in theodicy and in metaphysics as the problem is to consider the compatibility between the presence of evil and suffering in the world with the existence of God who is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent and omnibenevolent.

The problem of evil arises from the assumption that an omniscient and omnipotent God should be able to fix the world according to their intentions. As evil and suffering exist, it may seem that God wills or permits to exist, so it would not be perfectly good, or would not be omniscient because he is not aware of all the suffering in the world, or is not powerful because it cannot fix the world to root out evil. Aquinas denies any metaphysical reality of evil, as he sees it as no good or deprivation (an idea that comes the thought of Plotinus and had been collected, with not a few modifications, St. Augustine), especially from bad and disputed questions in the Summa Theologiae (I, 1. 48).

Inductive reasoning of evil

Everything wrong with the type of entities created is the result of the fallibility of his (s) creator (s). (Premise)

The universe is a created entity. (Premise)

The universe contains evil. (Premise)

Evil is the result of the actions of a creator (s) fallible (s) or is not the result of any creator (s). (From 1, 2 and 3)

If God created the universe, then he is fallible. (Of 4)

So either God created the universe, or is flawed, or missing. (From 5)

The problem with this approach, from a Catholic point of view, is the falsity of points 1 and 3. Following the thought of medieval scholasticism, we can say, as St. Thomas Aquinas - that first of all, entities are created by the act of being divine participation. Now, no one can give what he has in itself. God cannot pass because it's imperfections-perfect-but these occur in the creatures by their own limitations. The ability to be in this or that act reaching perfections is restricted by its essence. Second, and following the above reasoning, the universe does not contain an entity that is the "evil": this is the simple nomenclature that we have a lack of good. Because, if it contained wrong, this should have been created by someone who is evil, a characteristic that is beyond the Creator. We conclude that evil is only given in imperfect beings (and, to complete the idea, we add that they must be free and capable of reasoning) (Cessario, 2003).

Description and Analysis

Douglas J Soccio established himself as an authoritative exponent of Aquinas with The Thought of Thomas Aquinas (1995). More polemically, in Archetypes of Wisdom, he has discussed in a chapter about the goodness of God with the existence of horrendous evils in the world. Now, in this book, Douglas J Soccio sets out what Aquinas says about God and evil, contrasting his views with ...