Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed

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One of the most perplexing problems facing believers in God is the problem of evil. The words of Epicurus put the point concisely: "Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world" This is a difficult problem to unpick and it remains an issue that continues to concern people and inspire debate.

The problem has taken a variety of forms over the centuries; in fact, there are numerous "problems" of evilproblems for theists but, perhaps surprisingly, problems for non-theists as well. Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed explores, in a rigorous but engaging way, central challenges to religious belief raised by evil and suffering in the world as well as significant responses to them from both theistic and non-theistic perspectives.

Reviews

"Meister's Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed is a brilliant, lucid, fair, concise guide to philosophical reflection on the nature of evil. The work is scholarly but without pedantry or jargon and, given its length, the scope of this work is terrific, for it includes not only the competing claims of theism and secular naturalism, but also the broader context of assessing evil from the standpoint of Hinduism and Buddhism." -- Charles Taliaferro, Professor of Philosophy, St. Olaf College, USA
"Living up to the book's title, Chad Meister skillfully guides his audience through philosophical thickets with clarity, vigor, succinctness, and a trove of illuminating examples. Readers will gain a firm grip on the problem of evil, including cutting edge aspects like skeptical theism and divine hiddenness, as well as an area less well known to analytic philosophers, namely, Hindu and Buddhist approaches. Meister's concluding insights remind philosophers that evil must be confronted not only abstractly but also on a deeply personal level. In short-- a highly rewarding read!" -- David Shatz, Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Division of Humanities, Yeshiva University, USA
"Chad Meister's Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed is a clearly written and informative introduction to the problem of evil. It presents the most important recent developments in thinking about the problem of evil in a way that is accessible to anyone with an interest in the topic. While many books claim to do this, Meister's book actually delivers the goods and I highly recommend it." -- Stewart Goetz, Professor of Philosophy, Ursinus College, USA
"Meister has produced the most comprehensive and accessible monograph on evil currently available. Whilst most treatments of evil within philosophy of religion revolve around theodicies, Meister gives extensive consideration to the hiddenness of God, to atheistic arguments, and to Hindu and Buddhist responses to evil and suffering; all of which take him into further territory, including that of religious experience and neurological accounts of religious belief. Written in Meister's characteristically clear style, this book will be an invaluable resource for people of all faiths and none." -- Rev. Dr. Harriet Harris, Chaplain to the University of Edinburgh, UK
[Meisters] book is a comprehensive and informative introduction to the problem of evil ... [T]his is an excellent guide for the general reader, for preachers and parishioners, for professors and students, and for those who are looking for resources and inspiration to write a dissertation on this subject. -- James Moulder, Catholic Theological College, Australia * Theology *

Author Bio

Chad Meister is Professor of Philosophy at Bethel College, Indiana, USA. His published and forthcoming publicationsinclude: Introducing Philosophy of Religion (Routledge), Christian Thought: An Introduction (co-authored with James Stump; Routledge),Philosophy of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Issues (co-edited with Paul Copan; Wiley-Blackwell), The Oxford Handbook of Religious Diversity (editor; OUP), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion (co-edited with Paul Copan; Routledge), The Cambridge Companion to Christian Philosophical Theology (co-edited with Charles Taliaferro; CUP)