The Co-Existence of God and Evil

In this philosophical reflection, Jane Mary Trau provides the framework for a response to the claim that the existence of God is incompatible with the existence of evil. Professor Trau’s approach begins with the construction of the theory of positive value. She then demonstrates through a traditional and a modified version of the doctrine of the double effect that it is possible that evil have positive value. Having also shown that one can not know that any instance of evil is gratuitous, Trau concludes that the existence of evil is not inconsistent with the existence of God.