Privative interpretation of evil in religious and naturalistic worldviews

The main question raised in this article is why the privative interpretation of evil, which causes so much criticism among modern philosophers, still demonstrates amazing vitality. To address this issue, the following steps are being taken. First, the distinguishing features of the modern debate on the problem of evil are established: first of all, it is noted how exactly good and evil are understood in it. It is concluded that the modern understanding of good and evil poses a completely different problem compared to its traditional version. Second, the privative interpretation of evil is analyzed: it reveals what concepts of good and evil are used in it, what classifications of evil are assumed in it, what explanations for the existence of different types of evil are used. It is shown that such thinkers as the Blessed Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, used the privative interpretation as only one of the elements of theodicy, while modern authors tend to view it as a self-sufficient explanatory model. The concluding part of the article raises the question of how the privative interpretation of evil corresponds to the current state of the discussion of the problem of evil.