It is framed in terms of a friendly bet - if Miller can convince Weirob that the evil in the world does not logically contradict the existence of God, then Miller will get to pray for Weirob’s recovery from the cold which currently afflicts her. The three talk about basic issues related to the logical problem of evil, such as whether any theodicy renders it possible (although not necessarily plausible) that God and evil coexist, whether divine omniscience and human freedom are compatible, and how atheists can make sense of good and evil. Gretchen Weirob represents the atheistic position, and Sam Miller the theistic position, while the neutral Dave Cohen simply helps the discussion along whenever the main discussants get stuck. In his new 1999 book, Perry looks back to an earlier discussion among the trio about the logical problem of evil.
In 1978, philosopher John Perry published a well-received little book in which three fictional friends engaged in a series of stimulating but easy-to-understand discussions about personal identity and immortality. Dialogue on Good, Evil, and theExistence of God. Book Review: Dialogue on Good, Evil, and the Existence of God (2000) Mark I.