Note 85 — Chapter VI · THE STUDY OF NATURE. FUNDAMENTAL POSITIONS.

(b) Existence of moral evil Greater difficulty was found by the Stoics to beset the attempt to justify the existence of moral evil, and the difficulty was enhanced in their case by the prevalence and intensity of moral evil in the world85 according to their view. By their theory of necessity they were prevented from shifting the responsibility for moral evil from natural law or deity on to man, which is one way out of the difficulty. In not altogether eschewing this course, and yet refusing to allow to deity any participation in evil, and referring evil to the free will and intention of man,86 they acted as other systems of necessity have done before,87 reserving the final word. The real solution which they gave to the difficulty is to be found partly in the assertion that even the deity is not able to keep human nature free from faults,88 and partly in the consideration that the existence of evil is necessary, as a counterpart and supplement to good,89 and that, in the long run, evil will be turned by the deity into good.90