Hedonic Adaptation and the Persistence of Suffering: A Model-Based Approach to Theodicy

Hedonic adaptation—the tendency to return to a baseline level of well-being after changes in life circumstances—offers a new perspective on theodicy, the attempt to reconcile suffering with a benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient God. Since perceived suffering tends to revert to baseline, reductions in actual suffering may provide only temporary relief. This paper develops a simplified theoretical model, drawing on economic methods, to analyze how perceived suffering evolves over time, whether adjusting adaptation speeds could reduce distress, and what this reveals about the normative limits of benevolent intervention. The model demonstrates a structural trade-off: while slower adaptation may extend relief, it can also intensify distress during hardship. These dynamics lend support to soul-making theodicies by showing how persistent suffering fosters resilience and moral growth, and they echo free will theodicies by portraying adaptation as a built-in human feature, shaped by evolutionary pressures. At the same time, it challenges interventionist theodicies by emphasizing that suffering may persist despite benevolent efforts. It thereby invites greater attention to the recurrence of suffering, not only its intensity, as a concern for theodical reflection.