Argumentation of the philosopher Franjo Šanc on the problem of evil in the world
Argumentacija filozofa Franja Šanca o problemu zla v svetu

english

2025

volume 85, issue 2

Christian theism   God   philosophy   problem of evil

Univerza v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

This paper1 deals with the philosopher Franjo Šanc’s reflections on the pro-blem of evil in the world. After some introductory remarks, the second chapter briefly presents the life and main works of Franjo Šanc. The third chapter, which is also the central chapter of the article, is structured around five themes. The first theme is the basic assumption from which Šanc starts, and that is: there is a per-sonal God, and he is the Christian God, the creator and ruler of the world. The second theme is Augustine’s concept of evil as absentia or privatio boni, the fra-mework within which Šanc reflects on evil in the world. The third theme is Šanc’s central idea that in both physical and moral evil, God has a good purpose in mind, which does not always have to apply only to the individual, but can also apply to the whole world, and that evil does not necessarily exist. The fourth theme is Šanc’s argument that the existence of evil is proof of the existence of God, and not the reverse, as many authors claim and advocate. The fifth theme is Šanc’s answer to the question of the origin of evil. He says that evil exists for the greater glory of God. The conclusion of the paper briefly recapitulates Šanc’s philosophi-cal thought and presents the author’s conclusion that his philosophical position is acceptable to Christians, but not to those who are not familiar with Christianity.

17.02.2026