The Solution of Logical Problem of Evil, According to Motahari and John Hick

Abstract

The problem of evil has a long history in philosophical thinking, and is one of the most important and challenging issues among philosophers and theologians, which in the most pessimistic case, leads to deny God, and in the most optimistic case, claims that there has been a violation of certain attributes of God. For example, evil, and especially the excessive evil, rejects absolute power of God and God's merciful benevolence. The purpose of this writing is to study the logical problem of evil and to solve it from the perspective of the two Islamic and Western thinkers, Morteza Motahari and John Hick. Marteza Motahhari believes that the wisdom and interest of God is dominant over the system of being and that evil is “relative and non-existent” and concludes at the end that evil is based on good and leads to good. The two are "inseparable", and of course, there are benefits to evil. John Hick also believes in the mighty creator who created the best possible universe, while Hick's view is that he is evil and develops the theory of "cultivating the soul," and the purpose of God is to create evil, to uplift human beings and He introduces his spiritual growth and makes it an agent of perfection. But, for him, talking about an unsolved problem and an “unknotted knot” in the name of evil is vain; and finally, for him, the reasons of the existence of evil is "mysterious", in other words, unconscious and beyond comprehension.

Keywords

• extreme evil
• divine
• justice
• motahari
• john hick