3.1 The problem of evil and suffering Flashcards
What is moral evil?
A result of human actions that are morally wrong, like murder, cruelty and war
What is non-moral evil?
apparent malfunctioning of the natural world which produces earthquakes, volcanoes, famines and floods
What is the difference between moral evil and non-moral evil?
evil produces suffering. Moral is a result of human actions, whereas natural evil isn’t necessarily a result of human actions
what problems for religious belief are posed by moral evil and non-moral evils?
athiest believe evil is convincing evidence that God doesn’t exist
The free will defence helps to justify moral evil but doesn’t justify non-moral
what do monists believe about E&S?
universe is a single, harmonious unity that is good and evil is a mere concept in our minds
What do athiests think about E&S?
a loving God would not have created a universe with so much evil and suffering
What do hindus and buddists think about E&S?
evil is an illusion/ our view is distorted - its brought about by human greed ad selfishness. Under the doctrines of karma and rebirth, all suffering is a result of evil committed in a previous life
What do monotheists believe about E&S?
no suggestion that evil is an illusion of the mind. In scriptures there is a mixture of good and evil in our human experience and they record sorrow and joy, suffering, and human wickedness
What do zoroastrians think about E&S?
the universe is a battle between the principle of good and the principle of evil- fight for supremacy. God is the source of perfect good within the powers of darkness
what challenge is posed for religious believers by the existence of S&E?
- If God was all loving he wouldn’t want to abolish evil and if God is all powerful he must be able to abolish evil. However s&e still exists so God cannot be all loving and all powerful
The inconsistent triad- Mackie
What religious beliefs are not challenged by S&E?
- Hinduism and buddism: believe our view of evil is distorted, consequence of actions from our past lives
How does evil lead to 3 inconsistencies for the existence of the GOCT?
- If God is perfectly loving, he would want to abolish E&S. But E&S exists so God is not all loving
- If God isn’t all loving then God is morally imperfect, not worthy of worship
- If God was all powerful he would have the power to stop E&S, but they still exist
Who was David Hume?
Scottish philosopher and empiricist, created the ‘evidential problem of evil’
What did David Hume conclude about the existence of God?
- God is not omnipotent or
- God is not benevolent or
- evil does not exist
But Hume uses empirical evidence to show that evil does exist, so therefore only 2 of God’s attributes can be true at once
What did Hume think about the relationship between evil, omnipotence, and benevolence?
because the qualities of omnipotence, benevolence, and evil cannot exist simultaneously. But evil does exist, the GOCT therefore doesn’t exist
