TITLE:
Spinoza and the Relativity of Evil in the World
AUTHORS:
Muhammad Kamal
KEYWORDS:
Substance, Evil, Relativity, Immanence, Transcendence
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Philosophy,
Vol.8 No.3,
May
9,
2018
ABSTRACT: 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.