ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with two instances of evil that have been mentioned in the literature. The first is a case of animal suffering due to natural forces, what would be called a natural evil. The second is a case of human suffering and death due to the intentional action of a human agent, what would be called a moral evil. In John Hick’s theodicy some evils themselves are necessary to the attainment of the good of moral and spiritual development. But many evils, particularly those resulting from the operation of the laws of nature, will not themselves serve moral and spiritual development. The problem Hick’s theodicy leaves us is that it is altogether reasonable to believe that some of the evils that occur could have been prevented without either diminishing our moral and spiritual development or undermining our confidence that the world operates according to natural laws.
