When we think of evil, the first image that comes to mind is usually not the concept of evil, but an evil thing. This gives insight into what evil is in its essence: something that robs innate goodness from something else. The word for this is called “privation,” the classical philosophical understanding of evil.

Evil itself is the privation, or lack, of goodness in a substance. Because existence itself is good, everything that exists possesses some inherent goodness. This is why it is possible to believe there is always good in a person even if that person has made many evil decisions. Our belief in this person’s goodness does not come from that person’s likelihood to make a good decision. The goodness is an extension of that person’s existence, because as long as he exists, it is possible for him to make morally good decisions.

Why Does Evil Exist?

This mysterious question of the nature of evil can be traced back to the key distinction which lies between God and not-God. This is why many ancient dualistic religions saw everything that lacked God as evil. The world was separate from perfect goodness.

Although Creation is distinct from God and His perfect goodness, it does allow for the possibility of rebelling against that goodness, or sinning. It also allows for the possibility of cooperating with perfect goodness. This is what we call love: freely choosing to cooperate with God.

What Is the Difference?

There are two types of evil. It is important to know how they differ.

Natural evil is the evil that occurs “in nature” independent of our decisions, manifested in a privation or lack where goodness ought to be present. The simplest example of natural evil is blindness in the eye because that is where vision “ought” to be.

Moral evil has to do with the decisions and actions of people. Moral evil is a privation in a decision. If the goal of human action is virtue, then an “evil” action is an action that lacks virtue.

Does Good Need Evil?

Because it is clear that good and evil are opposites, many think that both must exist in order to balance one another. However, this misunderstands the nature of goodness as an extension of existence. Goodness describes the wholeness or completeness of a thing that exists, so goodness is an extension of existence itself.

Does Evil Need Good?

While goodness has a positive definition, evil can only be described as a lack of goodness. As a result, it is impossible to define evil without first defining goodness. This means that while good does not need evil to exist, evil does need good. To use a previous example, there can be no concept of blindness without first existing the “good” reality of vision.

What Does This Mean for God?

If evil cannot exist without good, then evil cannot be eternal. It also cannot be all-powerful nor the foundation for existence itself. Only Goodness is eternal, all-powerful, and the foundation of existence: what Christians know as “God.”

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This article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal.