The Inherent Conflict: Matter, Spirit, and the Genesis of Evil


The answer can be understood as follows: the obviousness of material evil is explained not by the unproven absence of a transcendent God's presence, but by the fact that matter itself possesses properties that differ from the spiritual principle. Even if we do not observe God as a revealed and manifest presence, the nature of the material remains such that it does not contain a creative, life-giving force; on the contrary, it is inclined toward destruction.

For example, one of the sources states:
"Evil indeed lacks an ontological foundation because it is always a non-creative, destructive force. In principle, we can call evil a deviation from the fundamental bases of existence. God does not create evil. But the freedom granted to man presupposes that he may use it to divert his will from good." (source: link txt)

This indicates that material evil does not arise as a direct creation of God, but is a consequence of human free will when one chooses to stray from good. Such a choice, in turn, is connected with the inert nature of matter itself.

Another source emphasizes the internal conflict between spirit and matter:
"Consciousness, the thirst for more and more, with each instance an ever greater consciousness, the hunger for eternity and thirst for infinity, the passionate desire for God never finds satisfaction; every consciousness wants to be itself and to be all others, without ceasing to be itself—it wants to be God. And matter strives to be less and less, with each passing moment exhibiting less consciousness; it wants to be nothing, for it craves only rest. The spirit says, 'I want to be!', and matter replies, 'I don’t want!'" (source: link txt)

This thought reflects that the spirit, aspiring to a higher creative principle, encounters the inert and self-sufficient nature of matter, which by its very essence is devoid of creative impulse and therefore manifests as a destructive force.

Furthermore, another source notes that in some philosophical concepts the material principle is incapable of being transformed by the spiritual principle and is merely separated from it, fostering the emergence of substantial evil:
"Within this kind of metaphysics, the material principle cannot be transformed and enlightened; it can only be severed from the spiritual principle—the lower cannot be elevated to the higher." (source: link txt)

In summary, these considerations explain that material evil remains evident because its roots lie in the nature of matter and in the free choice of man, who, by turning away from higher spiritual principles, contributes to the manifestation of the destructive aspects of material existence.

The Inherent Conflict: Matter, Spirit, and the Genesis of Evil

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