problem of evil key concepts

Question 1

who talks about the evidential problem of evil

Answer 1

Hume and Mill -

Question 2

Mill on the evidential problem of evil

(who develops this and what do they say )

Answer 2

can be understandable for god to allow some evil but the amount in the world is excessive

• Draper: gratuitous evil - can actually embitter which makes it even worse

Question 3

define the word embitters

Answer 3

make some resentful and bitter

Question 4

define

gratuitous evil

who talked about it

Answer 4

evils that do not contribute to any greater good and includes the sufferings of animal, innocent children too young to learn a lesson etc

Paul draper

Question 5

who talks about the inconsistent traid

Answer 5

Mackie

Question 6

Hume on the problem of evil

his play

Answer 6

wrote a play with one of his characters being a sceptic
- prior probablility - someone unfamilliar with our world is unlikely to assume the world is a work of a good god
- his character Philio, uses analogy of a house full of imperfections (leaks, holes) - sceptical to assume divine being created it

Question 7

what does hume mean when talking about nature having poor worksmanship and that the laws of nature lead to misery

natural evil

Answer 7

worksmanship: either excess of defecit such as floods then a drought

natural laws lead to misery - gravity makes people fall to their deaths - more danger in the world etc

Question 8

how does hick differ to irenaous

heaven

Answer 8

hick belives in universalism - all souls go to heaven

irenaeus - souls burn in hell

Question 9

3 solutions to the logical problem of evil

Answer 9

• dytheism - god is not wholly good
• process theology - god is not yet entirely omnipoteny and is changing and evolving
• theodicies !

Question 10

Explain Irenaous and likeness

Answer 10

god created us in his image but we develop in the human world into his likeness
- jesus is the only one to be in his likeness so far
- adam and eve expelled into human world to develop - too immature

Question 11

How does Schliermacher criticise free will

Answer 11

why would god create humans that go wrong

it couldnt have been a perfect creation

Question 12

criticism of Irenaous

Answer 12

most of his beliefs are not accepted by christians

god knew what would happen - omnipotent - so is responsible for the evil still

Question 13

privatio boni

a similie

Answer 13

absence of good
augustine

darkness is just the absence of light

Question 14

criticism of privation of good

four

Answer 14

• it is not like darkness because sickeness is not the abscence of health
• doesnt solve evidential problem of evil - excessive
• gods foreknowldeg takes away our responsibility
• occams razor

Question 15

occams razor

how does it relate to augustine

Answer 15

simplest explanation is to be preffered
to believe in agustine is to believe in the fall of man, angels and origional sin

Question 16

hick

two

Answer 16

humans have to be morally immature and imperfect to attain true freedom and goodness
soul making theodiy

Question 17

chain of reasoning

hick - gratuitous evil - epistemic distance-prayer - experience
-mackie

Answer 17

hick criticised for gratuitous evil - no need for that since it wont benefit anyone

need for epistemic distance so has to have random evil

epistemic distance is a weak argument - pointless to pray if that was true since god wont show up and disproves so many religious experiences where god appears to ppl

furthermore - mackie - wonders why god would allow such cruelty if suffering is enough

Question 18

swinburne on free will

Answer 18

free creatures must live in a free world

Question 19

criticisms of process theology

Answer 19

• goes against christina doctrine bysaying god is not omnipotent
• against aquinas’ eternal timeless god
• only solves the issue by changing the def of god

Question 20

great lisbon earthquake of 1755

Answer 20

natural evil example
demolished the city in portrugal
- 100,000 deaths estimated
- quakes, tsunami and fire
- during christian holiday all saints day

Question 21

how do christians respond to natural evil of lisbon earthquake

2 points and eval

Answer 21

• ‘wrath of god’ - but why would he punish sinners by destoryin g churchers
• Rousseau - result of overcrowding in the city that caused deaths so moral evil - can link this to modern times global warming that is excacerbating bad weather - but if god caused this he wouldve known the result, just deflecting the problem

Question 22

Voltairre on lisbon earthquake

Answer 22

uses it to discredit design argument
- god failed to create a safe world for human floruishing