A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE VIEWS OF LEIBNIZ AND ST. AUGUSTINE ON THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Abstract

The issue of evil is one of the important theological and philosophical issues which, since it has raised doubts about God and the good system, has always been discussed and researched by thinkers in different religions and schools.Augustine considers evil to be nonexistent and believes that evil is the lack of good and that the object is considered evil because it lacks good.Leibniz also believes in non-existent evil and acknowledges the minimal role of evil in achieving good. Examining and comparing the ideas of Leibniz as a contemporary philosopher of Christianity and Augustine as a pioneer of Christian theology about evil is something that can acquaint us with their views and solutions to solve the problem of evil and explain their differences of thought. This article uses a descriptiveanalytical method to examine the nature, types, strategies and answers of Leibniz and Augustine about evil, and finally compares and expresses the similarities and differences of thought of these two philosophers about evil.Leibniz and Augustine believe that the existence of evil can not deny the existence of God and exaggerate the world of creation, but with a correct and logical understanding of the problem of evil, we can better understand the divine wisdom and accept the goodness of the world of creation.