On the Alleged Connection Between Moral Evil and Human
Freedom: Response to Nagasawa and Trakakis

Joel Thomas Tierno
Dept of Philosophy, Community College of Southern Nevada
joel_tierno@mail.ccs.nevada.edu

In this essay, I respond to two criticisms of my essay, ‘On the Alleged Connection between Moral Evil and Human Freedom.’ According to Yujin Nagasawa, I equivocate on the meaning of ‘moral evil.’ I respond by offering what I believe to be an unobjectionable stipulative understanding of what counts as moral evil which is sufficient for my argument. According to Nick Trakakis, I seriously misunderstand the conception of freedom characteristic of free will theodicists. He suggests that my argument presupposes compatibilism. I respond by showing that my argument does not presuppose the denial of the capacity to have done otherwise.