Author(s)

Muhammad Kamal

Asia Institute the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

This article analyses the problem of evil in the world in the context of Spinoza’s philosophical discourse. It deals with an important and urgent question: is there evil in the world or not? Drawing upon Spinoza’s interpretation of the relationship between God and the world, I consider this dilemma by concentrating upon the pantheistic elements of his philosophy. I have discussed how Spinoza develops his arguments for the relativity of evil and its objective non-existence. This solution is derived from the way he identifies substance as the sole reality with God. I have also compared Spinoza’s ideas with those of Plotinus by highlighting similarities in their respective understandings of the problem of evil.

Substance, Evil, Relativity, Immanence, Transcendence

Kamal, M. (2018) Spinoza and the Relativity of Evil in the World. Open Journal of Philosophy, 8, 145-155. doi: 10.4236/ojpp.2018.83011.