The problem of evil 2 Flashcards
Theodicy
Attempts to justify God in the’ face of evil.
2 types of evil
Moral evil – humans (Holocaust) Natural evil – Nature (Earthquakes)
Logical problem
The existence of evil is logically incompatible with God – Deductive
-The inconsistent triad
Logically inconsistent to hold all three
Evil, omnipotent and omnibenevolent.
Evidential problem
-The amount and distribution of evil is good evidence to suggest that God doesn’t exist
Inductive, a posteriori uses our own suffering as evidence, tries to find the most plausible explanation for our experiences.
Augustine
Downwards and soul deciding
Based on the fall of Adam and Eve Genesis 3 – we are ‘seminally present in the loins of Adam’ – Born with OS
Evil is a result of this and is a privation of Good i.e. darkness is the absence of light ‘privatio boni’
God shows grace by sending Jesus – Some are predestined to be saved (elect) whilst others are not –
Advantages of Augustine
fair as Heaven and Hell allows us to be justly punished
Disadvantages of Augustine
Logical error - If a flawless creation does fall then it must be the fault of the creator e.g. the creator must be evil
Moral error: Hell has no purpose, it is not loving, why would God make it design, unfair for us to suffer because of Adam and eve e.g. babies and animals
Augustine’s response
God created Hell as he is just – it’s a place that demonstrates how he is just so that we can suffer for our sins
Why is Augustine’s response flawed
But why is violence the answer if God was just shouldn’t a more logical solution be education so that we can work towards a higher moral purpose
If God was just then all of humanity should not be judged on the actions of two people. God has the ability to save us all and if we are all truly tainted by sin then God through his omnibenevolence should recognize this and help us rather than condemn us
Mackie - improvement of Augustine
(Why couldn’t God make a world where we had free will but just always happened to choose good )
Doesn’t allow for self-improvement and links to heaviest rock story, God can only do logically possible things link to Irenaeus’ theory
Plantinga: If you transfer a human to another world where it is possible for humans to be free and always do good then they would not be human.
Irenaeus/Hick
Upwards and soul making – Created in Imagio dei - We were created at an epistemic distance to God and although born in likeness must grow and mature to be in the image – only possible by choosing right from wrong.
Hick
1st order evils lead to 2nd order goods: without evils we can’t have any true virtues
e.g can’t experience true happiness with our sadness
Irenaeus/Hick advantages
God made it so he can’t intervene with our free will otherwise we would be automatons and have the ability to choose good from evil so that we can understand true goodness. It is because of his omnipotence he allows this
Optimistic: universal Salvation – all will go to Heaven
Irenaeus/Hick disadvantages
That means all murders/bad people make it to heaven too
Why bother being good in this lifetime if you are just going to get to heaven regardless
Hume: Could our world not be a little more hospitable and still teach us what we need to know?
Why Irenaeus/Hick disadvantages are flawed
Should not be concerned on who God chooses to save it is this egocentric nature that suggests how we ourselves also need moral growth
God made us autonomous and to have the potential to be absolutely good we also need the potential to be absolutely evil (Swinburne)
Swinburne’s – free will defence.
Natural evil is logically necessary for people to know how to prevent evil - Instrumental Value in evil
The horrors of Auschwitz give us the gift of full freedom
