Problem of Evil/Augustine

• What does the quote from Jeremiah illustrate about evil?

  It shoes that suffering and evil have always existed in human history, as evidenced by the lament over continual tragic losses (e.g. famine, war and violence).
• What historical events highlight the pervasive nature of evil and suffering?

  Examples include: the Black Death, the thirty years war, the Irish potato famine, the flu pandemic, war, genocide.
• How is evil experienced?

  Evil is experienced individually as real pain and loss - not as abstract or theoretical concepts - impacting each person through unique agonies and grief.
• What are the two kinds of evil?

  • Moral Evil: Suffering that arises from human choices and actions.
  • Non-moral (natural) evil: Suffering from natural causes like famine, earthquakes, or disease, though sometimes these can have moral elements if choices (like where to live) influence exposure.
• What is the logical problem of evil?

  It is the inconsistency among three propositions:

  1. God is all-powerful.
  2. God is all-loving.
  3. Evil exists. This leads to the conclusion that either God is not all-powerful, not all-loving, or both.
• How does the logical problem of evil differ from the evidential problem of evil?

  The logical problem is a theoretical inconsistency (inconsistent triad), while the evidential problem focuses on the reality of individual suffering and the observable, concrete instances of pain in the world.
• What is a key criticism of responses that claim “we need the darkness to appreciate the light”?

  Such responses are seen as morally inadequate because they fail to address the real harm and personal agony experienced by victims of evil, reducing profound suffering to a mere abstract balance of opposites.
• What does the term “theodicy” refer to?

  Theodicy is an attempt to justify the goodness of God despite the existence of evil in the world.
• What is St. Augustine’s approach to the problem of evil?

  St. Augustine argues that since all creation comes from God, matter itself is not evil. His theodicy seeks to reconcile the existence of evil with the idea of a benevolent God, countering dualistic notions like those of the Manichees.
• Why must the answer to the problem of evil address the victim’s suffering?

  Because theoretical explanations fall short when confronted with the real, individual pain of victims; an adequate response must speak directly to those who endure the personal, tangible effects of evil.
• What does Genesis 1:31 say about creation?

  “God saw everything that he has made, and indeed, it was very good.” This establishes that everything God creates is inherently good, though its goodness is of its own kind.
• How does Augustine distinguish between the goodness of God and the goodness of created things?

  Augustine holds that while all creation is good, its goodness is limited to its nature (e.g. a stone is good for building but not as an author), differing from the absolute, perfect goodness of God.
• What does the “scale of goods” mean in Augustine’s thought?

  It means that different creatures or things are good in different ways and to different extents - some brings (like humans) have a higher capacity for good because they can express more complex forms of excellence.
• How does Augustine explain the existence of evil despite a good creation?

  Evil is not a substance but a privation - a defect or absence of good. When something fails to achieve its natural good (like a wound lacking health), it manifests what we call evil.
• What is the significance of possessing natural gifts, according to Augustine?

  Even if a human does not use all their gifts well (or falls into sin), having them is inherently better than lacking them entirely - this capacity for goodness makes a human more fully human than a mere puppet.
• How does Father Herbert McCabe‘s view complement Augustine’s argument?

  McCabe’s idea that “nothing in the wrong place is just as real as something in the wrong place” reinforces that absence or misplacement of good (evil) is a real and significant defect in otherwise good creation.
• When did Augustine of Hippo live?

  He lived from 354 to 430 AD.
• What significant religious conversion did Augustine experience, and when did it occur?

  Augustine converted from Manichaeanism to Christianity in 386 AD.
• What position did Augustine hold from 395 AD until his death?

  Bishop
• What 2 of Augustine’s works are best known?

  Confessions" and "City of God
• What honour was bestowed upon Augustine in 1298 AD by the church?

  Doctorate
• What two events does Augustine focus on to explain the existence of evil in a

  The fall of angels (led by Lucifer) and the fall of man (Adam and Eve’s disobedience).
• What occurred during the fall of the according to Augustine?

  Certain angels, led by lucifer, chose to reject God, thereby introducing the evil of denying God and subsequently falling into hell.
• What event characterises The fall of man in Augustine’s explanation?

  Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge resulting in the expulsion from Eden and the beginning of human suffering through hard labour and the pain of childbirth.
• How does Augustine’s theodicy address the problem of evil?

  His soul-deciding theodicy suggests that evil arises as a test of our goodness and faithfulness to God; humans choose whether to obey or reject God making the experience of evil a consequence of that choice.
• What is the ongoing consequence of the original sins according to Augustine?

  Evil persists through history as either result of sin or as punishment for sin, affecting all generations due to humanities seminal connection to Adam.
• Despite the presence of evil, what does Augustine assert about God’s relationship with humanity?

  God continues to love humanity and offers redemption through the saving work of his son, Jesus, even in the midst of human wickedness and suffering.
• How does Augustine’s concept of free will differ from Plato’s view of wrongdoing?

  Plato believed wrongdoing stemmed from ignorance of the good, whereas Augustine argued that people could know the good and still choose not to do it because of free will.
• Why is free will essential to being truly good, according to Augustine?

  True goodness requires the ability to choose freely; forced virtue or love such as a coerced relationship would be meaningless.
• How does Augustine defend the existence of free will despite the evil it can cause?

  He argues that a world where people can choose to do good or evil is better than one where they are forced to act rightly, comparing a sinful person to a runaway horse, which is still better than an unmoving stone.
• What is the free will defence theodicy?

  It is Augustine’s argument that evil is not caused by God but by human choices; God gave humans free will, and they are responsible for The evil they commit.
• How does J.L Mackie challenge Augustine’s free will defence?

  He argues that God, being omnipotent, could have created beings with free will who always choose good based on their character, thereby preventing much suffering without violating free will.
• What counterargument is given against Mackie’s challenge?

  If people were created to always do good, they might feel free in their choices but would not be truly free in their relationship with God, which is what ultimately matters.