Proportional Justice, Schizophrenia, and the Problem of Divine Law

This paper reassesses classical theodicies through the lens of proportional justice and compassion, focusing on the lived experience of a patient with schizophrenia, we argue that any ethical or divine jurisprudence that burdens the severely suffering with strict laws or condemns them to eternal torment is irreconcilable with the concept of a benevolent Creator, drawing on the “ought implies can” principle in Kantian ethics and the capabilities approach of Sen, Nussbaum, the paper develops a proportionality principle for moral obligation, we conclude that eternal hell constitutes a moral evil in itself, and propose alternative frameworks of accountability that foreground restorative justice and the alleviation of suffering.