Problem of Evil Flashcards
Theme 3A (33 cards)
Who was Kevin Carter and what happened to him?
He was a South African photographer who won a Pulitzer Prize for taking an image of a Sudanese child who was stalked by a vulture. However, he commits suicide due to the guilt that he had because he did not save the child.
What was the quote that Wilkinson and Campbell said regarding evil?
Evil is not presented as a theoretical problem but an inescapable reality of living.
What did Stephen Fry say regarding the problem of evil?
It is the rock of atheism
What is the Logical Problem?
It is an inconsistent triad where you cannot possess all 3 things simultaneously because it becomes a contradicting paradox.
What are the 3 things in the Inconsistent Triad?
God is all-loving
God is all-powerful
Evil exists.
What is the Epicurean Formulation?
Developed by Epicurus in around 300 BCE and he questioned:
“Is God willing to prevent evil but not able to? Therefore is he not omnipotent?”
“Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent (wishing to do evil on others)”
“Is he both able and willing? Then where does evil come from?”
“Is he neither able nor willing? Then why is he a God?”
What is the Epicurean Formulation also considered to be called?
The Classical Formulation
Who developed a formulation based upon the classical formulation?
JL Mackie
Who did Mackie say was the problem of evil only considered one for?
It was only a problem for people who believe that God is omnibenevolent and omnipotent
What did he say about evil if there is a compromise occurring?
Then evil ceases to be a problem
What is the argument essentially saying?
It is a simple form of the argument saying that God is omnipotent and wholly good, but the fact that evil exists undermines that
There is no problem of evil for atheists.
What is the nature of evil?
Good and Evil are overarching opposites of all experiences but each exist in a relationship to each other.
What have philosophers become more interested in the last 30 years?
Interested in the concept of evil and those who are motivated by evil acts that are committed.
Why do we need the concept of evil?
The significance of the word instead of having that perpetrators be called “very very bad” instead.
What is Natural Evil?
Form of evil and suffering that is not derived via human cause
Give examples of natural evil
Animal Suffering
Natural Disaster Suffering
Pain resulting from disease and a poor design of the body
Psychological illness
Who said this?
Peter Vardy in the Puzzle of Evil
Why can we not claim that natural evil does not exist?
Because we are always affected by it
What are believers left with as possibilities?
Either that evil is the fault of humanity and not God
or
God created natural evil which good justifications to do so.
What is Moral Evil?
Evil caused by humanity.
Give examples of moral evil?
Bullying, stealing, vandalising, terrorism
What do some theists argue about moral evil?
It is our fault because God is not forcing us to do such sinful acts, but free will is the reason it happens.
What is a counter argument to this about free will?
If God was all-knowing then surely he would know what would happen if he gave us free will. and so why did God make it this way?
Who is William Rowe?
He created a book called “God and the Problem of Evil” in 1979 and stated that God had acceptable grounds to have limited suffering on humans for us to grow and develop as a species.
