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A Transcendental approach to evil suggests that evil is an _______ and the result of ____ _______

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Final answer:

The Transcendental approach suggests that evil is an illusion and a human construct. This view posits that 'evil' is part of a greater good as seen by an all-perfect deity and does not exist on its own. Various philosophers and theological perspectives offer differing interpretations of evil and its relation to deity and human nature.

Step-by-step explanation:

A Transcendental approach to evil suggests that evil is an illusion and the result of human creation. This perspective views the concepts of 'good' and 'evil' as human constructs rather than absolute realities. According to this approach, what we label as 'evil' does not have independent existence but is merely a part of the complex whole of the universe, which is ultimately seen as good or necessary by an all-perfect deity.

Philosophers like Leibniz argued that when the nature of the deity and its creation are properly understood, the apparent conflict between the existence of an all-good deity and the presence of moral evil dissolves. This is because, in the best of all possible worlds created by an all-perfect deity, what we perceive as evil may be necessary for the overall beauty and goodness of creation as seen by the deity.

In contrast, thinkers like Nietzsche and St. Augustine have different approaches to the concept of evil, with Nietzsche considering it as a reactive concept derived from resentment, and St. Augustine attributing it to the fall of humanity and the free will to choose wrongly.

The ongoing discussion and reinterpretation of the idea of evil and the nature of the deity are also evident in movements such as Process Theology, which reconsiders traditional conceptions of the deity in light of reasoning.

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