University of Isfahan Metaphysics 2476-3276 17 40 2025 09 23 Explanation and criticism of Keith Ward's view on the problem of evil Explanation and criticism of Keith Ward's view on the problem of evil 53 66 29111 10.22108/mph.2024.142459.1584 FA Hajar Babajanpur PhD student, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran Yadollah Rostami Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran Alireza Mosadeghi Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran Mehdi Khademi Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Payame Noor University, Journal Article 2024 08 14 Keith Ward is one of the philosophers of religion who has dealt with the issue of God and his relationship with the world and the evil in it. In explaining his point of view, he first deals with the concept of God, whose existence is necessary. The necessary description of God, who is of course powerful and purely benevolent, requires the creation of the world from nothing, which gives value and beauty to the world by performing this act; a world whose creatures should be independent and free. But these attributes of the world, i.e. freedom and independence, require the presence of evil in it, in the sense that such a world cannot be without the possibility of evil and suffering. Of course, he believes that in the other world (the afterlife), people will reach eternal happiness and the wicked will perish. There are criticisms of Kate Ward's view that the Almighty and benevolent God should not prescribe evil. The independence of the world does not need suffering and God can create an independent world without suffering. Even if independence is important for the world, it is not worth all this suffering, and it would be better if humans and the world had less independence. Keith Ward is one of the philosophers of religion who has dealt with the issue of God and his relationship with the world and the evil in it. In explaining his point of view, he first deals with the concept of God, whose existence is necessary. The necessary description of God, who is of course powerful and purely benevolent, requires the creation of the world from nothing, which gives value and beauty to the world by performing this act; a world whose creatures should be independent and free. But these attributes of the world, i.e. freedom and independence, require the presence of evil in it, in the sense that such a world cannot be without the possibility of evil and suffering. Of course, he believes that in the other world (the afterlife), people will reach eternal happiness and the wicked will perish. There are criticisms of Kate Ward's view that the Almighty and benevolent God should not prescribe evil. The independence of the world does not need suffering and God can create an independent world without suffering. Even if independence is important for the world, it is not worth all this suffering, and it would be better if humans and the world had less independence. https://mph.ui.ac.ir/article_29111_b8154acfedb72d74c5ced490f5c32dcd.pdf