What if the evils of the world were defeated by a certain state of affairs q such that q is good and such that any possible state of affairs entailing q is better than any possible state of affairs not entailing q? . . . What possible state of affairs could thus serve to defeat the evil that is in the world? The wise theodicist, I should think, would say that he doesn't know. Is it at least logically possible with respect to the evil that does exist that that evil is defeated? The most the theodicist has a right to say, I believe, is that it is epistemically possible. It may be, for all we know, that the evil in the world is defeated by some state of affairs that is absolutely good. And it may also be, for all we know, that the goodness in the world is defeated by some state of affairs that is absolutely evil.'