3.2 Theodicies and solutions to the problems of evil and suffering Flashcards
1
Q
Key Points
A
- Free Will Defence
- Augustine’s Theodicy
-Soul Making Theodicy (Irenaeus & Hick) - Process Theodicy
- Leibniz argument of best of all possible worlds
2
Q
The Free Will Defence
A
- One of the key themes of Augustine’s theodicy.
- Evil is the result of human or angelic free will, rather than God’s will.
- Theme has been developed into its own theodicy.
- FWD provides a logical reason for the existence of moral evil in the world & removes blame from God by placing it on humanity.
- Centres on the idea that for humans to have a meaningful relationship with God LOVE MUST BE EARNED. We are free to love God or not.
- Genuine free will -> genuine posibility of evil. For God to take away the possibility of evil he would also take away our free will.
- PoE is resolved by arguing moral evil occurs when humans abuse God-given free will (G not accountable).
3
Q
Manichaeism
A
The Belief that God is omnipotent but the dark of evil and sin disrupts the pleasure and light of his good creation.
4
Q
Ex Nihilo
A
out of nothing
5
Q
privatio boni
A
lack of good
6
Q
Augustine Quote
A
Even out of evil ‘God could work good’
7
Q
Augustine’s theodicy introduction
A
- Roman Catholic heavily influenced by Manichaeism.
- Taught that God created the universe ex nihilo and perfectly good.
- Postulates the ‘principle of plenitude’ (fullness/completeness), which argues that a world created from a wide range of being, from highest to lowest (e.g. rocks to humans), is a richer and better universe than one which contains only one type of perfect creature.
- Augustine does not see evil as an independent force. If the universe was made ex nihilo, evil cannot have come into existence from outside it; evil is PRIVATIO BONI - some things in creation cease to be what God intended.
8
Q
Applying the PRIVATIO BONI of Augustine’s argument
A
