The problem of evil as an existential-religious question

a dialogue between Kierkegaard and Ricoeur

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the conceptions of the Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard and the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur regarding evil, as a moral action and natural suffering, in the context of Western Christian theistic belief. This theme does not appear significantly in Kierkegaard’s short and fragmented biography, nor in his broad literary production, which makes
it impossible to identify a broader scope of his thoughts on the subject. An exegetical treatment of his texts, according to Ricoeur, is the most appropriate method for arriving at existential categories that structure a possible Kierkegaardian conception of evil. Furthermore, Kierkegaard positions faith as belief in virtue of the absurd, that is, beyond language and reason in the relationship  with the divine, which suggests specific religious implications for the question of evil. Thus, in order to investigate the relationships between the conceptions of the two thinkers on the subject, Ricoeur’s reading of Kierkegaard’s
categories of anxiety and despair will first be outlined. Next, the two thinkers’ approaches to the biblical character Job will be presented. Finally, Ricoeur’s criticisms of aspects of Augustine’s and Leibniz’s theodicies will be commented, as well as his proposal for the issue, namely, that evil is an aporia. As a conclusion, the hypothesis is that evil, from Kierkegaard and Ricoeur, implies a belief of an agnostic-ethical nature.