Problem of Evil

• What is natural evil considered from a human perspective?

  Only evil when looked at from a human perspective
• How does the natural world fulfill its potential?

  Earthquakes are just natural occurrences
• What is the 'arbitrary' nature of natural evil?

  Caused by humanity turning away from its true potential
• Who defined moral evil in the context of free agency?

  Humans are free agents responsible for actions
• What does CS Lewis suggest about suffering?

  Suffering shapes us into better beings
• What does the term 'theodicy' mean?

  A justification of God despite evil
• What is the 'Inconsistent Triad' formulated by Epicurus?

  God is either not omnipotent or not loving
• What conclusion does David Hume reach regarding God and evil?

  God must be either impotent or malicious
• What does John Stuart Mill say about the God of classic theism?

  It doesn't exist due to evil's presence
• What do Mary Eddy Baker and Buddhists believe about evil?

  Evil is a construct of our mind
• How does Bertrand Russell view God in relation to evil?

  God is a smoke screen for evil
• What is Augustine's interpretation of the Genesis story?

  He interprets it literally and traditionally
• What does Augustine say about the hierarchy of being?

  All created things reflect greater or lesser being
• What caused evil to enter the world according to Augustine?

  The misuse of free choice by Adam and Eve
• How does Augustine view the punishment of natural evil?

  Natural evil is fitting punishment for sin
• What does Augustine claim about God's responsibility for evil?

  God is not responsible for moral or natural evil
• How does Augustine define evil?

  Evil is an absence of good
• Why does Augustine believe free will is valuable?

  It allows humans to choose goodness
• What is the relationship between moral evil and natural evil in Augustine's view?

  Moral evil leads to the existence of natural evil
• What does John Hick propose about human development?

  Humans develop in two stages: image and likeness
• What is the significance of free will in Hick's theodicy?

  It allows humans to choose to believe in God
• How does Hick relate natural evil to soul-making?

  Natural evil helps humans reach divine likeness
• What analogy does Hick use to explain spiritual development?

  The analogy of an athlete training
• How does Hick view the Fall of Adam and Eve?

  As a result of immature humans lacking wisdom
• What does Hick say about God's role in human suffering?

  God allows suffering to help humans mature
• How does Hume challenge the necessity of suffering?

  He questions if suffering needs to be extreme
• What is the criticism of free will regarding innocent suffering?

  The suffering of children is too high a price
• What does Dostoyevsky suggest about God's responsibility?

  He questions the burden of free will
• Logical problem of evil challenges belief

  • God cannot be all-powerful because he would have created a world that didn't have evil or suffering from natural disasters & he would be able to prevent & end suffering now. Since evil & suffering continue, God can't be all powerful.
  • God can't be omnibenevolent as he would've loved & cared for his creation enough to want to prevent & avoid suffering.
  • There's an inconsistency in believing that God knows about evil (omniscience), is wholly good & is powerful to prevent evil (omnipotence).
• Logical problem of evil doesn't challenge belief

  • Alston - we can't understand God because human perspective is limited. We can only perceive part of what may be full picture, so we can't argue that this is either for or against God.
  • Plantinga - God chooses to limit himself in order to allow free will.
  • There are good reasons for allowing evil to continue - there may be good outcome. Pain & disease is necessary fro growth of empathy.
  • Good cannot exist without evil; we wouldn't know what good is.
• evidential problem of evil is greatest challenge to belief

  • Hume - observations of evil questions God's love & power. He asks whether God could have created a more hospitable world or allowed humans to learn through pleasure rather than pain. It is vast quantity of pain that poses greatest challenge to belief.
  • Could God have made humans to always choose love?
  • Dostoyevsky - God who allows extent of innocent suffering isn't worth worshipping.
• evidential problem isn't greatest challenge to belief

  • logical problem is greater - it highlights inconsistency of belief in a theistic God who has characteristics of being all-powerful, all-knowing & all-good. Such being would know about, want to & be able to stop evil. Since evil continues, these attributes are irrational & contradictory - clear challenge to belief.
  • We need to use both evidential & logical problem of evil to challenge belief because it is belief in theistic God that is questioned.
  • Swinburne - evidential problem isn't so difficult - it provides greater motivation to find cures for disease.
• Augustine gets God off hook

  • God couldn't create evil if it is a privation because it isn't 'something' but a lack of goodness. Dissolves logical problem of evil.
  • McCabe - argues when we talk of something being 'bad' we mean it doesn't live up to expectations.
  • Augustine writes about interpreting Bible rather than taking it literally - Modern theology interprets Genesis story as myht - even without 2 literal first humans, it explains why human nature (innate sinfulness) tends to make bad moral choices.
  • Human free will is important in the theodicy. Genuine free will requires possibility that humans could choose evil.
• Augustine doesn't get God off the hook

  • If God created perfect world, where did evil come from? If humans chose evil, they must have had knowledge of it, maybe God is partially responsible for evil.
  • Modern scientific advances suggest errors in Augustine's theodicy because it isn't possible for every human to have been biologically (seminally) present in Adam.
  • Augustine's explanation of natural evil, caused by Fall, seems alien to modern thinking, which finds explanations for disasters in movement of tectonic plates.
• Soul-making justifies the amount of evil in the world

  • Hick - God is justified in allowing the amount of evil to avoid limiting free will. Epistemic distance allows complete freedom to develop character & genuine love for God.
  • World is a 'vale of soul-making' so amount of evil is instrumental, it develops character & couldn't occur in a pain-free paradise.
  • Swinburne - If God limited suffering then it would be a 'toy world where things matter but not much'. God would be like an overprotective parent, not allowing his child out of his sight.
  • End justifies means - since evil & suffering are instrumentally good, amount of evil is justified by universal salvation.
• Soul-making theodicy doesn't justify amount of evil in the world

  • Mackie - God could've made ppl who are free but always make good choices. Or God could've limited amount of evil humans can inflict.
  • Hume - moral character can be developed through pleasure & pain, so perhaps we don't need the amount of suffering in order to learn.
  • D.Z Phillips - disagrees with Hick by suggesting true love doesn't use evil as means to an end or for a purpose. Phillips argues God is omnibenevolent = doesn't create or use evil for any purpose.