Wandering in darkness: narrative and the problem of suffering

Can one hold consistently both that there is suffering in the world and that there is an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good God? This book argues that one can. The opening section presents current research related to autism spectrum disorder to contend that some philosophical problems, including the problem of evil, are best considered with the help of narratives. Then the book investigates the moral psychology and value theory within which one typical medieval theodicy — that of Thomas Aquinas — is embedded. It also makes use of recent work in developmental psychology to illuminate these views. In the third section, the book presents detailed, innovative exegeses of the stories of Job, Samson, Abraham, and Mary of Bethany, each of which is exemplary of a different form of suffering. In the context of the interpretations of these stories and the previous examination of Aquinas's views, the book then argues that an extended Thomistic theodicy can constitute a consistent and cogent defence for the problem of suffering.