Episode 1319: Summa Theologica - Part 1 C Divine Providence and the Problem of Evil

C Divine Providence and the Problem of Evil:
Aquinas delves into the concept of divine providence, which refers to God's guidance and governance of the world. He addresses the problem of evil, seeking to reconcile the existence of evil with a good and all-powerful God. Aquinas proposes that evil is not a positive entity but rather a privation or absence of good. He argues that God, in His wisdom, allows evil to exist for the sake of a greater good or to preserve the order of the universe.
Divine Providence and the Problem of Evil is a significant aspect of Aquinas's philosophy within the broader discussion of God's nature and the existence of evil in the world. Here's an overview of this topic:Show more

Divine Providence:
Aquinas affirms that God exercises divine providence over all of creation. Divine Providence refers to God's continuous and loving guidance and care for His creation. Some key aspects of Aquinas's understanding of Divine Providence include:
a) God's Sovereignty: Aquinas emphasizes that God, as the creator and sustainer of all things, has complete control and sovereignty over the universe. He governs and directs all events towards their intended purposes, ensuring order and harmony in the world.
God's sovereignty is a central aspect of Aquinas's understanding of God's nature and His relationship to the world. Here is a more extensive write-up on God's sovereignty:

Definition of God's Sovereignty:
Aquinas defines God's sovereignty as His complete control, authority, and supremacy over all things. As the creator and sustainer of the universe, God possesses absolute power and dominion over every aspect of creation. His sovereignty encompasses both the natural world and human affairs.

God's Sovereignty and Divine Attributes:
a) Omnipotence: God's sovereignty is closely linked to His attribute of omnipotence, which refers to His all-powerfulness. As the sovereign ruler, God has the ability to accomplish His will and purposes without any limitations or constraints. He can bring about any outcome or effect desired.

b) Omniscience: God's sovereignty is also connected to His attribute of omniscience, or all-knowingness. As the sovereign ruler, God possesses perfect knowledge of all things, past, present, and future. He has complete awareness of every detail and aspect of creation, enabling Him to govern and guide it accordingly.

c) Wisdom and Providence: God's sovereignty is characterized by His wisdom and providential care. His sovereign rule is guided by perfect wisdom, ensuring that His governance is just, harmonious, and in accordance with His divine plan. His providential care ensures that all events and circumstances unfold according to His purposes.

B. God's Sovereignty and Human Freedom:
Aquinas addresses the apparent tension between God's sovereignty and human freedom. While God is sovereign, He does not negate or override human freedom. Instead, He works within and through human choices and actions to accomplish His purposes. God's sovereignty and human freedom coexist, with God's providence operating in harmony with the free will of individuals.

Implications of God's Sovereignty:
a) Comfort and Trust: God's sovereignty provides comfort and assurance to believers. It assures them that nothing in the universe is beyond God's control and that He is actively involved in their lives. Believers can trust in God's sovereignty, knowing that He is working all things for their ultimate good.

b) Reverence and Awe: Recognizing God's sovereignty inspires reverence and awe. It acknowledges the infinite greatness and majesty of God, highlighting the vast difference between the divine and finite beings. The understanding of God's sovereignty leads to a sense of humility and adoration in the presence of the Almighty.

c) Guidance and Direction: God's sovereignty provides guidance and direction for believers. Understanding that God is in control and has a plan for His creation allows individuals to seek His will, align their lives with His purposes, and trust in His guidance during times of uncertainty.

Aquinas's concept of God's sovereignty affirms God's supreme authority and control over all things. It underscores His power, wisdom, and providential care. Recognizing God's sovereignty has profound implications for believers, offering comfort, guidance, and a sense of awe in their relationship with the Creator.

C. Providence and Human Free Will: Aquinas reconciles God's providence with human free will. While God guides and governs all things, He does not violate or coerce human freedom. He works within the choices and actions of individuals, bringing about His plans through the free decisions of rational beings.
Providence and human free will are important aspects of Aquinas's theological framework. Here is a more extensive write-up on these concepts:

Providence:
Aquinas defines providence as God's loving and purposeful guidance and care over His creation. Some key points regarding providence include:
a) Divine Plan: Providence encompasses God's overall plan for the universe. It involves His wisdom and will in governing and directing all things towards their intended purposes. God's providential plan ensures order, harmony, and the fulfillment of His divine intentions.

b) Preservation and Governance: Providence includes God's preservation and governance of all creatures. He upholds their existence, sustains their operations, and guides them towards their proper ends. Nothing exists or functions apart from God's providential care.

c) Divine Foresight: God's providence also involves His foreknowledge of all things. He possesses perfect knowledge of the past, present, and future, enabling Him to anticipate and take into account all events and contingencies in His providential plan.

Human Free Will:
Aquinas upholds the reality of human free will alongside God's providence. He affirms that individuals possess the ability to make genuine choices and decisions. Some key points regarding human free will include:
a) Rational Nature: Human free will arises from our rational nature. It is a capacity inherent in our ability to reason, deliberate, and make choices based on our understanding and desires. Free will enables us to act in accordance with our own judgments and inclinations.

b) Compatibility with Divine Providence: Aquinas asserts that human free will is compatible with God's providence. While God governs and directs all things, including human actions, He does not coerce or eliminate human freedom. God's providence works in harmony with human choices and actions to accomplish His purposes.

c) Moral Responsibility: Human free will carries with it moral responsibility. Individuals are accountable for their choices and actions, as they have the ability to act in accordance with or contrary to God's moral law. Moral responsibility is an essential aspect of human freedom.

Divine Providence and Human Free Will:
Aquinas reconciles divine providence with human free will by asserting that God's providence does not violate or undermine human freedom. Instead, God's providence encompasses and works through human choices and actions, even accounting for the contingencies and possibilities that arise from free will.
Aquinas emphasizes that God's providential plan is not determined by human actions alone. Rather, it takes into account all possible outcomes and contingencies, incorporating them into the unfolding of His divine purposes. God's providence ensures that even through the exercise of human free will, His overall plan is accomplished.

Aquinas's understanding of providence and human free will highlights the harmonious relationship between God's guidance and human agency. It recognizes the significance of both God's sovereign providence and human responsibility. This theological framework affirms the importance of human freedom while acknowledging the overarching providential plan of a loving and wise God.
c) General and Special Providence: Aquinas distinguishes between general providence, which encompasses the universal laws and regularities that govern the natural world, and special providence, which refers to God's specific interventions and actions in particular events and circumstances.
Aquinas distinguishes between general providence and special providence as different aspects of God's governance over the world. Here is a more extensive write-up on these concepts:

General Providence:
General providence refers to the universal and continuous care and governance of God over all creation. Key points regarding general providence include:
a) Natural Laws: General providence operates through the established laws and regularities of the natural world. God's general providence upholds the order, stability, and functioning of the universe. It ensures the operation of natural processes, such as gravity, chemical reactions, and biological cycles.

b) Preservation and Sustenance: God's general providence encompasses the preservation and sustenance of all creatures. He maintains their existence and provides for their needs. It is through God's general providence that creatures continue to exist and participate in the natural order.

c) Universal Goodness: General providence reflects God's universal goodness and benevolence. It extends His care and concern to all creatures, irrespective of their moral or rational capacities. God's general providence manifests His love and providential care for the entirety of His creation.

Special Providence:
Special providence, also known as particular providence or specific providence, refers to God's specific interventions and actions in particular events and circumstances. Key points regarding special providence include:
a) Divine Interventions: Special providence involves God's direct involvement and interventions in the affairs of individuals and communities. It includes extraordinary events, miracles, answered prayers, and divine guidance in specific situations.

b) Individual Guidance: Special providence provides individual guidance and direction to people in accordance with their unique circumstances and needs. God's special providence may involve personal revelations, promptings, or divine interventions that guide individuals towards specific paths or actions.

c) Fulfillment of Divine Plan: Special providence ensures the fulfillment of God's larger providential plan. It works in conjunction with general providence to accomplish God's purposes and bring about His desired outcomes. Special providence operates within the broader framework of God's universal governance.

Aquinas emphasizes that while general providence is continuous and operates through natural laws, special providence involves specific divine interventions that go beyond the ordinary workings of nature. Special providence demonstrates God's personal care, involvement, and responsiveness to the particular needs and circumstances of His creatures.

It is important to note that Aquinas does not view general and special providence as separate or conflicting entities but as complementary aspects of God's governance. God's general providence provides the overarching framework within which His special providence operates, ensuring that both the natural order and specific events align with His divine plan.

Aquinas's understanding of general and special providence acknowledges both the regularity and predictability of natural laws and the personal involvement of God in the lives of individuals. It affirms God's universal care and intervention while recognizing the consistent operation of the natural world.
The Problem of Evil:
The problem of evil arises from the apparent contradiction between the existence of evil and the belief in a perfectly good and all-powerful God. Aquinas addresses this problem within the context of divine providence. Some key elements of Aquinas's response to the problem of evil include:
a) The Privation Theory: Aquinas argues that evil is not a positive reality but a privation or lack of goodness. Evil is the absence or corruption of a good that ought to be present. It does not originate from God, who is the source of all goodness, but rather from the free choices and actions of rational beings.
The Privation Theory, also known as the Privation Theory of Evil, is an essential concept in Aquinas's understanding of evil. It helps explain the origin and nature of evil in relation to God's goodness. Here is a more extensive write-up on the Privation Theory:

Definition of the Privation Theory:
The Privation Theory posits that evil is not a positive entity or substance but rather a privation or lack of good. According to Aquinas, evil does not have existence in itself but is a privation or absence of some good that ought to be present. Evil arises when there is a deficiency or corruption of the proper order and harmony that God intended for His creation.

Evil as a Privation of Good:
Aquinas argues that everything that God has created is fundamentally good since it reflects the perfection and order of its Creator. Evil, therefore, cannot be a positive substance or thing. Instead, evil is understood as the absence or deprivation of the good that should be present in a being or a situation. Evil occurs when there is a lack of or deviation from the proper fulfillment of a being's nature or purpose.

Corruption and Disorder:
Aquinas explains that evil is often the result of corruption or disorder within a being. It occurs when a being fails to fulfill its intended purpose or deviates from its natural order. For example, moral evil arises when human beings act contrary to the moral law, while physical evil can manifest as sickness, suffering, or natural disasters that disrupt the normal functioning of the natural order.

God as the Source of Goodness:
Aquinas asserts that God is the ultimate source of all goodness. He is the fullness of being, perfection, and harmony. Evil, being a privation of good, cannot originate from God since He is the perfect and unchanging source of all that is good. Evil arises not from God's creation but from the misuse or corruption of the inherent goodness found within created beings.

Redemption and Restoration:
Aquinas's Privation Theory provides a framework for understanding the purpose of redemption and restoration. Since evil is a privation of good, the remedy for evil lies in the restoration of the proper order and fulfillment of the good. Through God's redemptive work, evil is overcome, and the proper balance and harmony of creation are restored.

The Privation Theory helps to reconcile the existence of evil with God's goodness and omnipotence. It emphasizes that evil is not a positive force but a lack or deviation from the good that God intended. By understanding evil as a privation, Aquinas provides a framework for addressing the problem of evil while affirming the ultimate sovereignty and goodness of God.

It's important to note that the Privation Theory is not without its criticisms and alternative interpretations. Philosophical and theological discussions regarding the nature of evil continue to explore various perspectives on the problem of evil in relation to God's goodness and omnipotence.

b) God's Greater Good: Aquinas asserts that God, in His wisdom, can bring about a greater good through the existence of evil. He can draw forth virtues such as compassion, courage, and resilience in response to evil. Evil can also serve as a means of testing and refining individuals, leading to their spiritual growth and ultimate salvation.
Aquinas's concept of God's Greater Good, also known as the principle of the greater good, relates to the idea that God, in His wisdom and providence, can bring about a greater good through the existence of evil or suffering. Here is a more extensive write-up on God's Greater Good:

God's Omnipotence and Goodness:
Aquinas affirms that God is both omnipotent and perfectly good. He possesses infinite power and wisdom, and His goodness extends to all aspects of His creation. Aquinas argues that God's omnipotence allows Him to bring about a greater good, even in the presence of evil or suffering.

The Problem of Evil:
The problem of evil arises from the existence of evil and suffering in a world that is believed to be created and governed by an all-powerful and all-good God. It raises questions about how the existence of evil can be reconciled with the nature of God.

God's Permissive Will:
Aquinas suggests that evil exists due to God's permissive will. God permits evil to exist but does not directly cause it. He allows creatures with free will to choose actions that can lead to evil or suffering. God's permissive will is based on His respect for human freedom and His desire for creatures to participate in the goodness of creation.

The Greater Good:
According to Aquinas, God's wisdom and providence enable Him to bring about a greater good through the existence of evil. While evil itself is not desirable, it can be a means through which God brings about a higher good that would not be possible without the presence of evil.

Moral Growth and Virtue:
One aspect of the greater good is the opportunity for moral growth and the development of virtue. In the face of adversity or suffering, individuals have the chance to demonstrate virtues such as courage, patience, compassion, and forgiveness. These virtues contribute to the overall moral development and spiritual growth of individuals.

The Redemption of Evil:
Aquinas also highlights the redemptive aspect of God's greater good. Through the Incarnation and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God brings about the redemption of evil. The suffering and death of Christ on the cross offer the possibility of salvation and the ultimate triumph over evil.

Trust and Faith:
Aquinas encourages individuals to trust in God's providence and have faith that He can bring about a greater good. While the presence of evil and suffering may be challenging, believers are called to have confidence in God's ultimate plan and the goodness that can emerge from difficult circumstances.

Aquinas's concept of God's Greater Good offers a perspective on the problem of evil, suggesting that God's wisdom and providence allow Him to bring about a higher good through the existence of evil or suffering. It recognizes the opportunity for moral growth, virtue development, and the redemption of evil through Christ's sacrifice. Understanding God's Greater Good can provide comfort and a sense of purpose in the face of adversity, encouraging individuals to place their trust in God's ultimate plan.
c) Limited Understanding: Aquinas acknowledges the limitations of human understanding when it comes to comprehending the full purposes of God's providence. The finite human mind cannot grasp the infinite wisdom and ways of God. While we may not fully understand why certain evils occur, we can trust in God's goodness and providential care.
Aquinas acknowledges the concept of limited understanding, particularly in relation to human knowledge and our ability to comprehend the nature of God and His works. Here is a more extensive write-up on limited understanding:

Finite Human Intellect:
Aquinas recognizes that human beings possess finite intellects. Our knowledge and understanding are limited by our cognitive capacities, sensory perception, and the constraints of our human nature. Our intellectual capabilities are finite in contrast to the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God.

Incomprehensibility of God:
Aquinas argues that God, as the infinite and transcendent Creator, surpasses human comprehension. His essence, nature, and attributes are beyond the full grasp of our intellect. We are unable to fully comprehend or grasp the depths of God's being or the intricacies of His divine plan.

Analogical Understanding:
To bridge the gap between our limited understanding and the nature of God, Aquinas employs analogical reasoning. Analogical understanding involves using familiar concepts and language to describe God and His attributes. We can only approximate and describe God in terms that are analogous to our human experiences and limited understanding.

Divine Revelation:
Aquinas emphasizes the significance of divine revelation in expanding our understanding of God. While our natural reason has limitations, God has revealed Himself through sacred scripture, particularly in the Bible. Divine revelation provides insights into God's nature, His works, and His relationship with humanity, surpassing what can be known through human reason alone.

Mysteries and Paradoxes:
Aquinas acknowledges that certain aspects of God's nature and His works can be mysterious and paradoxical from our limited human perspective. The mystery of the Holy Trinity, for example, presents a concept that is difficult to fully comprehend, yet it reveals something significant about the nature of God. Aquinas maintains that it is acceptable to accept certain mysteries as beyond our full understanding, acknowledging our finite intellects in relation to the divine.

Humility and Faith:
Aquinas encourages humility and faith in recognizing the limitations of our understanding. He suggests that we should approach theological inquiries with a sense of intellectual humility, recognizing that our knowledge is partial and our understanding is limited. It is through faith, trust, and openness to divine revelation that we can deepen our understanding and relationship with God.

Aquinas's understanding of limited understanding highlights the recognition of our finite intellects in relation to the infinite wisdom and nature of God. It acknowledges the boundaries of human knowledge and emphasizes the importance of humility, faith, and divine revelation in seeking a deeper understanding of God and His works. While we may not fully comprehend God, Aquinas's theological framework encourages the pursuit of knowledge within the bounds of our limited understanding.
Aquinas's exploration of divine providence and the problem of evil provides a framework for reconciling the existence of evil with the belief in a loving and all-powerful God. He invites us to trust in God's providential plan, recognizing that even in the face of evil and suffering, God is working towards the ultimate good and redemption of His creation.

It's important to note that this overview is a general summary of Aquinas's position on divine providence and the problem of evil. The topic is complex and has been subject to further philosophical and theological discussions and debates throughout history.