privatio boni
(Lat. “the privation of good”)
The theological belief about the existence of evil normally associated with St. Augustine. In this belief, evil is not an entity or a substance, but the (de)privation of a substance, namely goodness or righteousness. Therefore, God did not create evil since evil is not an actual “thing.” As darkness has no substance in itself but is a privation of light, so also evil is a privation of righteousness. God allowed for this privation in his allowance for freedom.
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