This article provides a student-friendly, accessible yet thorough summary of Mackie’s classic text. It examines Mackie’s inconsistent triad formulation of the logical problem of evil, followed by his rejection of traditional defences of the God of classical theism on the grounds that they raise the paradox of omnipotence. Teachers could use this resource to support with GCSE and A-level specifications concerning the problem of evil, to prompt discussion and debate, as a flipped learning or homework task, or as an aid to Mackie’s original text (available online). 

In contrast to Mackie’s logical problem of evil, Paul presents a modern and unique challenge to the existence of the God of classical theism, on the basis of statistical evidence. Paul responds to traditional defences of God such as the 'free will' defence and the 'best of all possible worlds' hypothesis, arguing that over the course of human existence (circa. 300,000 years), the suffering of the 350 billion (approx.) humans or human conceptions that failed to reach an age of maturity and free will cannot be justified by the 50 billion (approx.) humans who survived to maturity. Further, the fact that children’s survival rates have increased so dramatically in the last century demonstrates that for the vast majority of human history, the world could not have been ‘the best possible’. Paul’s use of statistics and what he refers to as ‘The Holocaust of the Children’ has made a significant contribution to modern discussions regarding the problem of evil and prompted equally thought-provoking responses. Selected extracts from the article could be used with KS5 students as a way to engage with primary scholarly texts and link the curriculum with contemporary philosophical thought. Students could also consider counter arguments and religious responses in light of Paul’s challenge. 

This website provides students with the opportunity to explore for themselves quantitative data that relates to world problems, and illustrates aspects of the evidential problem of evil, such as the historical and geographical inequalities in life expectancy, child mortality, poverty, war, living conditions, natural disasters and causes of death. Some of the articles contain interactive options for students to compare data themselves, while others, such as this article, provide an explanation for the statistics we have today but also explain how we can know statistics for times past. This resource can be used for a homework or research task, where students have the chance to experience the link between philosophical ideas and their basis in real life and human experience for themselves. 

There are many editions of this classic text which is an absolute must-read for any teacher or aspiring student of the problem of evil. Hick thoroughly explores the problem of evil, presenting and evaluating the traditional Christian defences of God according to St Augustine and St Irenaeus before arriving at his own proposal, building on what he terms 'the Irenaean theodicy'. Within this hugely influential work, Hick is credited with collating and formulating the ideas of St Augustine and St Irenaeus into the theodicies as we understand them today. Teachers could select extracts of this text for students to facilitate discussion, to improve evaluation and understanding of the finer details and context of the traditional Christian theodicies, and to serve as a counter argument to Mackie’s logical problem of evil. 

A group of Jewish prisoners held in a concentration camp evaluate their beliefs in God and renconcile why concepts of good and evil exist.