Introduction

This introductory chapter orients the reader to the work that will be carried out in this book in developing and defending a Thomistic theodicy. It lays out the traditional argument from evil and begins to explain why the existence of evil does not generate any intellectual problem that theists must address or solve. This chapter also discusses the difference between a “theodicy” and a “defense” as well as the nature, purpose, and value of theodicy as an intellectual project. Theodicy remains a valuable and even necessary philosophical and theological enterprise insofar as it helps us better understand or see—with clearer intellectual and moral vision—how, in fact, the existence of God and the existence of evil are compatible. The final part of this chapter begins to discuss elements of this book's Thomistic theodicy and specifically situates it in relationship to other prominent work by some contemporary Thomists on the problem of evil.