Evil and Pain: A Critique of the Materialistic Account of Evil

A specific form of understanding of evil in the problem of evil debate gets assumed among a variety of materialistic naturalists. Owing to their physicalist and in some cases behaviorist philosophies this understanding assumes a hedonistic view of pain that reduces valuation to pleasure and pain. Herein all forms of good and evil get reduced to pleasure and pain. This work reorients the debate toward a more biblical understanding of evil based on an essentialist reading of ethics. The book argues that the hedonistic understanding of value characterizing prominent naturalistic materialists such as those alluded to by J. L. Mackie semantically seems to entail either a synonymous or a near synonymous relationship between evil and pain. The book further argues that this understanding given the essentialist reading of ethics seems wrongheaded. By reorienting the contours of the debate it suggests that the problem of pain might in effect be quite different from the problem of evil and that neither problem necessarily entails the other. Seen in this way neither problem casts doubt on belief in Gods existence. A rigorous study of this important topic Dr. Okellos exploration of the relationship between Evil and Pain adds a thoughtful and well-crafted voice to this historic debate while suggesting the role that God must play in any serious conclusion. --Richard L. Gray Professor of Leadership & Christian Ministries Asbury Theological Seminary Joseph B. Onyango Okello is an associate professor of philosophy and ethics at Asbury Theological Seminary in Orlando Florida. He holds an MA and a PhD both in philosophy from the University of Kentucky. He also holds a Master of Divinity and an MA in Church Music from Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of A History and Critique of Methodological Naturalism. Joseph his wife Sophie and their son Sean live in Oviedo Florida.