The Problem of Pain

A philosophical and theological examination of how an omnipotent and loving God might permit human suffering.

C.S. Lewis published The Problem of Pain in 1940. The book addresses the question of theodicy–how to reconcile God's goodness with the existence of suffering. Lewis approaches the topic from a philosophical perspective, drawing on his background in philosophy and English literature. He examines concepts such as divine omnipotence, human free will, and the nature of heaven and hell. The work predates Lewis's own experience of bereavement, which he later explored in A Grief Observed.