PHIL 4555 The Problem of Evil

Name: The Problem of Evil
Rating: 3.62 (29 reviews)

Various philosophical and religious explorations of the most obvious and pervasive problem in human life. Readings include Dostoyevski, Augustine, Chesterton, Sartre, Beckett, Tolstoi, Weisel, Frankl, MacLeish, McCarthy, Lewis, Boethius and the Bible.

Course overview

Department: Philosophy
School: MCAS
Credits: 3
Level: Undergraduate
Offered: Periodically

Requirements fulfilled

Philosophy: Ethics and Value distribution (one course) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
Philosophy: Free Philosophy electives (five courses, 15 credits); up to two approved cognate courses in other departments may also count (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating: 3.62 / 5 · Very Good
29 responses
Instructor rating: 3.72 / 5 · Very Good
29 responses
Terms evaluated: 1
Most recent: Spring 2023

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
Term	Instructor	Course overall	Instructor overall	Well organized	Clear learning objectives	Intellectually challenging	Helpful assignments	Applicable beyond course	Attendance necessary	Weekly effort	Responses
Spring 2023	Peter Kreeft	3.6	3.7	3.9	3.9	4.3	3.9	4.3	4.4	4–6 hrs/week	29 of 37

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

Peter Kreeft
Fall 2026, Spring 2023 · Official rating 3.72/5

Sections

Section 01
Fall 2026 · Peter Kreeft · Higgins Hall 310 TuTh 10:30AM-11:45AM · Offered