C.S. Lewis on Suffering, Free Will, and the Problem of Pain

Introduction: The Problem of Human Suffering

The problem of human suffering has been one that has plagued philosophers, skeptics, and Christians alike. For some, it is difficult to understand how an all-good and all-powerful God could — or would — allow suffering to afflict humanity to the extent that it does. Most people want to believe that God would want all creatures, especially those made in his likeness, to be happy. Therefore, when people begin to come to terms with the fact that many people are unhappy and many are living in a state of suffering and misery, it can be difficult not to question the will of God and one's own faith.

C.S. Lewis apparently wrestled with such questions himself, and that struggle led him to many insights. Lewis writes (Popova, 2014):

"There is no reason to suppose that self-consciousness, the recognition of a creature by itself as a 'self,' can exist except in contrast with an 'other,' a something which is not the self. . . . The freedom of a creature must mean freedom to choose: and choice implies the existence of things to choose between. A creature with no environment would have no choices to make: so that freedom, like self-consciousness (if they are not, indeed, the same thing), again demands the presence to the self of something other than the self."

This sense of freedom of choice serves as the foundation for Lewis's argument for why pain and suffering can coexist alongside an all-good deity. Challenging the problem of pain is one that has loomed for millennia on a theological basis, and therefore Lewis has his work cut out for him. Lewis argues that God cannot do what is not intrinsically possible, and that there is a special provision inherent in the granting of free will — that a measure of freedom to choose necessarily comes with consequences.

Free Will as the Foundation of Lewis's Argument

By introducing the concept of free will, it follows that God could not give human beings free will and simultaneously deny them the possibility of choosing evil without violating the law of non-contradiction. That is to say, part of being human and having consciousness also involves a level of suffering that is inherent in the mere act of being alive in the material world (Harmon, 2012). The fact that we live in a natural world governed by certain laws, coupled with the opportunity to exercise our wills upon the world and upon others, both account for why we must have the ability to choose from a range of behaviors — many of which can lead to decisions that include pain and suffering. In fact, it was mankind's rebellion against God that first introduced evil into the world, according to the Christian Bible.

Conclusion: Pain, Free Will, and Divine Goodness

Therefore, pain in itself cannot be considered inherently good or evil, but rather something that must exist, by definition, if we are to have freedom of will. God could not grant us genuine freedom without this prerequisite; otherwise, we would not be able to choose between good and bad options in our own lives. Lewis's framework ultimately suggests that a world without the possibility of suffering would also be a world without meaningful choice — and that such a world would be incompatible with the kind of free, conscious creatures human beings are.

Works Cited

Harmon, J. (2012, Fall). C.S. Lewis on the Problem of Pain. Retrieved from C.S. Lewis Institute: http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/C_S_Lewis_on_the_Problem_of_Pain_page1

Popova, M. (2014). C.S. Lewis on Suffering and What It Means to Have Free Will in a Universe of Fixed Laws. Retrieved from Brain Pickings: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/07/25/c-s-lewis-problem-of-pain-free-will/