This article presents itself as a commentary which refers to other texts belonging to the entire work of Louis Lavelle, to three essays, collected by the author himself, that formulate the contents of "Le mal et la souffrance" ("Evil and Suffering"). The first essay presents a doctrine of evil and suffering, which it is useful to enrich by borrowings drawn notably from "Conduite a l'egard d'autrui" (conduct towards others). The second essay is the description of the connections existing between solitude and communion, and which were originally the subject of a separate treatise. The third essay, which seems to be the most closely tied to the situation of the war declared in 1940, is in fact a new meditation upon the relations existing between the two preceding essays: the experience of war or misfortune, which deepens solitude, offers the possibility of attaining the spiritual life in accepting the suffering to which one is subjected and in triumphing by goodness over evil in the will. In conclusion, the philosophy of evil and suffering developed by Louis Lavelle, while not hiding its formal kinship with Buddhism, manifests and even declares its profound adherence to Christian faith.
