Theorists

St. Augustine defines evil as the corruption of one self. He states" All beings are made good, but not being made perfectly good, are liable to corruption." He uses this definition in order to explain why even though there is a God and he is supremely and unchangeably good there is still evil in this world. St. Augustine uses this argument to help explain good and evil in this world and states that "everything that comes from god is good and everything that is, is good. This helps explain in his ethical explanation of why there is evil when god would be able to remove this evil but does not.

Hobbes principal to his theory is self preservation and the constant preoccupation with the gratification of personal desires such as friendships, riches and intelligence. The importance of his social contract is not for the love of his fellow man but for self interest and fear it is for self protection and human begins have a natural right to do anything that serves this end. The role of the government is to create laws and rules that the citizens are bound to follow, create a safe and healthy environment and to protect its people. In this theory justice is the keeping of the contract which consists of seeking peace and following it, laying down and performing the contract. Any law made by the sovereign power is just, but not good. The good laws serve the good of the people its necessities and are easily understood.

Hume argues that "No one can observe a murder." What he is saying is that it is a moral judgment, because we do not know the entire reason behind the event and in not knowing we therefore can not witness a murder, but simply witness the end of a life. He bases morality on sentiment because reason is a slave to passion causing one to act rather than reason. Since reason can not be a motive to any action of the will.