The Problem of Evil from John Hick's Viewpoint

The problem of evil is one of the important problems considered in the philosophy of religion. This paper considers the problem of evil from the viewpoint of the contemporary philosopher, John Hick, and explores his arguments for proving the compatibility between the evil in the world and the existence of an omnipotent and omniscient God. By analyzing Hick’s viewpoint about the relationship between evil and free will, this paper demonstrates that Hick negates irreparable evil, and emphasizes not only that the existence of evil cannot be considered as a barrier to human evolution from the philosophical perspective, but also that those human capabilities which cannot be activated because of the existence of evil in the earthly life will be activated in the afterlife.