Where does Evil come from? (27 to 29 January 2011)

Where does Evil come from? Answers to a challenging philosophical and religious question in the first centuries A. D.

How to define the origins of Evil? Who or what is responsible for the evil in the world or in human beings? Is it an opposite principle to Good or an ill meaning divinity that fulfills the “bad” role? Is it the imperfect nature of the ephemeral world? How to consider the human being on that matter: is he essentially perverse or free and entirely responsible for his evil deeds? All the fields of Philosophy and Religion (Metaphysics, Theology, Cosmology and Ethics) are challenged by this question. Additionally, daily experience reminds us of the questions’ urgency. The workshop aims at looking for answers that were given in the first centuries A. D., a period in which philosophical and religious thoughts are intrinsically linked. It was initiated by Fellow Dr. Fabienne Jourdan (CNRS, UMR Orient et Mediterranée, Université Paris IV Sorbonne and Fellow at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg 2010/11) and the Göttingen Associate Prof. Dr. Rainer Hirsch-Luipold (Vertretungsprofessor für Neues Testament, Universität München und Associate at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg 2010/11).