Free Will - Root of all evil?

During a thought experiment, I envisioned creating a universe where everyone is happy and there is no evil. However, I struggled to determine the best ways to achieve this. One significant challenge was Free Will (opens in a new tab).

Why?

On paper, free will is an ideal concept: every being has no pre-defined destiny, no stringent rules, and complete freedom. But why was it causing me trouble? Because of its core definition: Freedom.

Deep Dive

To eliminate evil, we need to establish ground rules defining what is evil and what is not. However, this contradicts the principle of free will. For example, wronging someone might be considered evil by some but not by others. This ambiguity breaks our foundational rule of allowing absolute free will.

Thus, while the idea of free will sounds appealing—granting us complete control over our actions—it can also be the root of all evil.

This leaves me uncertain about whether free will is a suitable component for "my universe" or if it just creates a dilemma.

Pseudo Free Will

Pseudo free will involves guiding individuals toward morally correct actions (though what constitutes "morally correct" is debatable). If someone commits a morally wrong act, they should face appropriate consequences, similar to a karmic system. In my experience, this concept has been implemented in various real-world scenarios.