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natural evil

In discussions about the philosophical problem of evil, a distinction is commonly made between moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil is (roughly) evil that is brought about by the bad actions of human beings (or other created beings),

whereas natural evil is evil that is (seemingly)

brought about by nonagential forces (e.g., hurricanes,

tornados, drought, and so on). A deer's being badly burned in a naturally caused forest fire is a paradigmatic instance of natural evil. It is important to see that responses to the problem of moral evil are not necessarily good responses to the problem of natural evil.

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Philosophical Concepts

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