What is Augustine's theory of evil?
Evil is not a substance created by God, but rather a privation, a lack of good. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of the good that God created. It arises from the will, a good faculty given by God, when it turns away from the higher good of God towards lesser, created goods. This turning away, this disordered love, is the root of sin and suffering in the world.
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