{"id":65,"date":"2007-10-03T21:53:00","date_gmt":"2007-10-04T01:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alanrhoda.net\/wordpress\/?p=65"},"modified":"2007-10-03T21:53:00","modified_gmt":"2007-10-04T01:53:00","slug":"the-problem-of-evil-and-the-problem-of-suffering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alanrhoda.net\/wordpress\/2007\/10\/the-problem-of-evil-and-the-problem-of-suffering\/","title":{"rendered":"The Problem of Evil and the Problem of Suffering"},"content":{"rendered":"

By “suffering” I mean pain<\/span>, whether physical or emotional.
By “evil” I mean moral evil, <\/span>i.e., sin, wickedness<\/span>.<\/p>\n

It is important to keep these distinct. For one thing, not all suffering is evil – it was a good thing that my parents disciplined me, even though it hurt sometimes. In addition, while evil acts may cause <\/span>suffering, a person can have evil thoughts without acting on them and thus there can be evil without (overt) suffering.<\/p>\n

Because suffering and evil are two different things, the so-called “problem of evil”, a popular objection to theism, should be distinguished from the “problem of suffering”.<\/p>\n

To appreciate the importance of the distinction, consider this claim attributed to Socrates:<\/p>\n

It is always better to suffer evil than to do it<\/span>.<\/p>\n
His rationale is that doing evil harms the most important part of you – your soul. Suffering can only harm the body. Others can inflict suffering on your body, but only you can harm your soul. To the extent that your soul is unhealthy, you cannot know real happiness, joy, peace, or love. By contrast, a person of exceptional virtue can know real happiness, joy, peace, and love in the midst of intense suffering.<\/p>\n

Now, I think Socrates is right about this. Indeed, I think the Socratic principle is foundational to morality, as foundational as the Golden Rule.<\/p>\n

The principle does, however, carries implications that will seem counterintuitive to many:<\/p>\n