Final answer:
The argument whether omniscience and free will can coexist is an ongoing philosophical debate, involving compatibilists who believe they can coexist and incompatibility who don't. The Problem of Evil further challenges the relationship between a deity's characteristics and the existence of evil, with various theodicies attempting to address these concerns.
Step-by-step explanation:
The debate on the compatibility of omniscience and free will is a classic philosophical issue. Compatibilists argue that divine foreknowledge and human freedom are not mutually exclusive, suggesting that God's knowledge of future events isn't causative; rather, it's like having a foreknowledge of an outcome without influencing the decision-making process of individuals. In contrast, Incompatibilists maintain that if an all-knowing entity is aware of all future actions, this would render human decisions predetermined, and therefore, free will would be an illusion. This problem is closely linked to the Problem of Evil, which questions how a deity can be omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient while evil exists in the world.
The logical problem of evil posited by David Hume suggests that if evil exists, it challenges the attributes traditionally ascribed to a deity. For instance, if God is unable to stop evil, He isn't omnipotent; if He's unaware of it, He isn't omniscient; and if He knows about it and can stop it but chooses not to, He isn't omnibenevolent. Throughout history, various forms of theodicy have been used to try to explain away these inconsistencies.
One counter-argument is that the existence of evil is a necessary condition for free will—the ability for humans to choose good over evil. Another apologetic approach is that evil is the consequence of a fallen world, and not directly the doing of a deity but a result of human free will. Additionally, some argue that moral evil is necessary for the development of virtues such as bravery and compassion. However, these arguments often fall short in the face of natural evil—suffering not caused by human actions.