"Freedom of choice between good and evil must be
assumed; automata cannot acquire the thing called
character." - David R. Major
Philosophers and religionists have through time have puzzled themselves about the existence of evil. The problem of good and evil have always existed as long as human beings have given serous thought to their life upon the earth. It is probable that no explanation in terms of finite human existence will ever be forthcoming. We cannot explain the existence of good and evil to the satisfaction of the every individual to every type of thought.
Basically, evil can be classified in two ways. First, those evil that are due to the forces of nature beyond human control: flood, tornadoes, earthquake; conditions that cannot always be anticipated and which bring much harm and suffering to the individual directly affected. Then there are the evil that are due to the cause of wholly or particularly within man's power to control. These are, for example, bodily ills, disease of body and mind, moral ills--sins, vices and crime. It is the latter that is the most difficult to explain because so frequently the innocent suffer. It is true, of course that the innocent suffer from evil cause by natural forces, but it always seems more pitiful when individual who live good, upright lives and who are minding heir own affairs and nor interfering with anyone else should suffer the indignity of crime that results in the invasion of the human right of the individual to live his own live and ends in pain, shame, or disgrace.
There has always existed the question raised by cynics of whether God could not or would not keep evil out of the world. The question has never been answered. If God could not keep evil out of the world, then He is not omnipotent and all-powerful. If He could keep evil out of the world, then those who are cynical would say that God purposely wishes to torment the very manifestation of Himself that man is supposed to be and that He created. There is no final answer to this question that is satisfactory to everyone.
In so far as the problem of evil is concerned, man can make one of three choices. He can ignore the problems, he can speculate or philosophize about it, or he can assign the entire responsibility to a deity, a force outside himself and outside the universe. In these three choices we summarize what man has done concerning the problem of evil.
There are those who like to ignore any problem which seem to have no pat solution. There are those who continue to develop theories about the problem without really arriving at any final conclusion or satisfactory explanation. Then there are those, who, like the first group, ignore the problem in the sense that they pass responsibility somewhere else. The latter is a form of religious belief upon the part of some individuals, and consists of assigning to a deity all the problems that man cannot solve.
Such a practice seem to me to be inconsistent with the concept that man is a living force, and the force of that life must have come from a source external to the material world, which we can call divine or by any other term we choose. If we are of that source, then it is part of our responsibility to try to explain the problems with which we must cope in life. If this latter concept is true, then it is man's responsibility to learn all the intricacies of the force with which he is endowed, rather than direct problems back to the its source and thereby attempt to relieve himself of any responsibility concerning them.
I have been interested in the problem of good and evil over a long period of time, as have many other individuals. Obviously, as we study a problem through the years our point of view will change. I believe any individual who has seriously considered the problem of good and evil, or as far as that is concerned, any other problem that is intimately related to our human experience on this earth, can trace a change of opinion and concept in regard to the problem.
I remember at one time writing about evil, and I said something to this effect: "Evil means anything that interferes with our plans, that may cause us to abandon our hopes and aspirations or separate us from most cherished desires, that destroys what we has worked to create or causes us to suffer bodily or mentally." This is possibly one definition of evil. In fact it is more of a definition than it is an explanation of the problem of good and evil. It is a concept of evil that is substantially subjective. My definition was based upon the acceptance of a simple fact, that anything which interferes with our individual plans, wishes, and aspirations is evil.
Date: 28/11/04