professor pangloss, i preseume

A theodicy is an argument proffered to try to reconcile why an all-powerful and benevolent God would allow evil and needless suffering into the world.
Most don’t immediately seek the sophistical refuge of moral-relativism, as Æon magazine explores, instead going after the blandishments that from our limited and mortal perspective what can appear to us as cruel and undeserving is a sacrifice for the greater good in the grand scheme of things. The latter can be some solace but are generally not very comforting especially for the sufferers and it’s that old totem and taboo that can forge such arguments into dangerous weapons. Some account for evil as punishment for a wayward society and would lay the blame for disaster squarely on the shoulders of the fringe and those welcoming of them, and thus taking too many liberties with our free-will.