# Lesson 2.2: The Problem of Evil, Pt. II

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-luxury-of-virtue-7020409/lesson-2-2-the-problem-of-evil-pt-ii
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-luxury-of-virtue-7020409/lesson-2-2-the-problem-of-evil-pt-ii.md
Podcast: [The Luxury of Virtue](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-luxury-of-virtue-7020409)
Published: 2026-05-12T22:29:22+00:00
Episode link: https://zencastr.com/z/i_OuNXyJ
Audio file: https://redirect.zencastr.com/r/episode/6a03a9c2d5c9269b0680ae48/size/1145268358/video-files/64df8cc3b9f97166287697c5/01eebefb-9a57-444b-a350-b748650586b5.mp4
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-luxury-of-virtue-7020409/episodes/lesson-2-2-the-problem-of-evil-pt-ii
Duration seconds: 4515

## Resource

When the world looks cruel, every defense of God becomes a theory of human nature. Topics Discussed * The problem of evil argument and the two main ways to resist it: reject premise 1 or reject premise 2. * Leibniz's "best of all possible worlds" theodicy, including its psychological promise of consolation and its ethical demand for active striving. * Voltaire's mockery of Leibniz after the Lisbon earthquake, especially the charge that "the best of all possible worlds" sounds absurd in the face of real suffering. * Other responses to the problem of evil: deism, the devil, free will, evil as a counterpart to good, the soul-making defense, and skepticism about whether we can prove that unnecessary suffering exists. * The connection between theology and moral psychology in Hobbes, Leibniz, and Spinoza: whether people need religion, political authority, or freedom from superstition in order to live well.

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## Transcript

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