Final answer:
The 'optimization' of God's attributes refers to philosophical attempts to reconcile the existence of evil with the omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient nature of God. Maimonides suggests that human understanding is limited to God's actions rather than God's essence, which is beyond our comprehension. This highlights the complexities and limitations inherent in discussing the divine attributes and the Problem of Evil.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is grappling with the classical Problem of Evil, which queries how an omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient God permits the existence of evil or suffering in the world. This is a fundamental concern in the philosophy of religion and has been debated by theologians and philosophers alike. Trying to 'optimize' the attributes of God suggests an attempt to reconcile these divine qualities with the observable reality of evil and suffering. Maimonides, a preeminent philosopher, proposed a concept known as negative theology, wherein God's essence cannot truly be comprehended by human beings. We are limited to understanding God's actions, which we might describe using terms like merciful or gracious, but these words do not capture the essence of the divine. Hence, when discussing attributes of God, such as omniscience and omnipotence, and their relation to the existence of evil, it becomes clear that human language and concepts might not adequately capture the realities of the divine sphere. Furthermore, the existence of evil and suffering may not entirely negate the attributes of God as traditionally understood but rather challenges us to think more deeply about the nature of divinity and the limitations of human understanding. Instead of attempting an optimization, perhaps a critical examination of our assumptions and theological concepts is warranted to approach this profound problem.