Prologue:

This is the chronology of a journey toward truth.  In 1971, apparently unconnected bodies of knowledge began to shift into place to reveal their relationship to each other and a pattern behind them.  The pattern evolved, grew subtler and more precise, became able to correlate a broader range of information from simpler assumptions.

The paradigm is at its center a solution to the problem of evil--widely held to be insoluble, since the existence of evil seems absolutely incompatible with the existence of a God at once holy (Who would destroy evil if he could) and omnipotent (Who could destroy evil if He would).  A theodicy might demonstrate that coexistence is possible, for a time, so that the conflict can be resolved.  This one does so.

There are six papers in the series and the first, the theodicy itself, is out of place.  The system of concepts developed over several years, and did not become a solution to the problem of evil until well into the process.  The paper limited to that problem itself is presented first because the nature of the paradigm (it seems to be a unified field theory of the universe) must arouse skepticism, and if it is not to arouse incredulity as well it must be given the benefit of the doubt.

I propose to buy that benefit with the theodicy.  Though the problem, in its present form, is ancient, there has been no satisfactory solution, one which explains how there can be evil on such a scale if there is the God that theism postulates.  This explanation is characterized by:

novelty--elements are familiar, but the ones that make it work are new;
accessibility--rational, it will not shift its ground under scrutiny;
adequacy--it meets the conditions of the problem.