Augustine

Question 0

What are the 4 major themes

Answer 0

Theme 1: evil is a punishment- allows evil to exist as a punishment for original sin

Theme 2: free will defence- God is not to blame for moral evil because it occurs as a natural by- product of giving humans free will; free will is so valuable, the existence of evil is justified. Plantinga argues that natural evil occurs due to the the fallen angels

Theme 3- aesthetic theodicy- gods view is that all goodness and evil ultimately form a balance within the universe that creates a “moral beauty” - divine justice

Theme 4- contrast theodicy- evil is required in order for us to identify and act on what is “good”

Question 1

Who are the two key thinkers

Answer 1

Plantinga and Augustine

Question 2

Moral evil: what is our punishment for?

Answer 2

Original sin

Question 3

Moral evil: by product of total free will we make…

Answer 3

Mistakes, not God. Our free freedom is more important than total goodness

Question 4

What is the criticism of moral evil?

Answer 4

Unfair that we are still being punished for the original sin- where is the justice?!

Question 5

Natural evil who causes it?

According to who?

Answer 5

Angels free will is not logically inconsistent but to some is superstations

Question 6

Which natural evils can be caused directly by the fall

Answer 6

Child birth and death

Question 7

What does Augustine argue about natural evil

Answer 7

Cause by the fall- disobedience so great it caused the disorder in the natural world

Question 8

According to Augustine every generation is responsible for?

Natural evil

Answer 8

Natural evil as they were all seminary Present in Adam

Question 9

What idea is unscientific in Augustine view of natural evil

Answer 9

The idea of the original sin being seminally present and the fall is unscientific

Question 10

How to resolve the logical problem of evil? What do we have to remove?

Answer 10

Evil from the inconsistent triad as Augustine doesn’t believe it is a thing but the gap where good doesn’t exist

Question 11

The logical problem of evil and omnibenevolence

Answer 11

Threatened:

1) punish all humans for Adam and Eve disobedience
2) existence of hell for those who don’t believe that Jesus died for our sins
3) aesthetic argument suggests that evil acts as a contribute to moral beauty can justify the account of evil

Question 12

The logical problem of evil and omniscience

Answer 12

Threatened:

He should have forseen the fall and therefore all the evil from Adams and eve mistake

However this can be destroyed by the use or abuse of hicks concept of epistemic distance. We are not in a position to say what God knows

Question 13

The logical problem of evil and omnipotence

Answer 13

Not threatened:

Augustine believes that God follows the world which has free will and evil in it rather than a perfect one with no free will.

Evil in the world is a question of choice not power

Question 14

Evidential problem of evil and “the free will defence”

Answer 14

Plantinga accounts for suffering through his suggestion that angels use and abuse their free free will too.

God has a good reason not to intervene but humans would not see suffering as purposeful

Question 15

The fall and the evidential problem of evil

Answer 15

Was so great that it shook the natural world and created disorder with it. So all the natural evil and suffering that happens to animals is still to the fall

Question 16

Contrast and the logical problem of evil

Answer 16

Cannot be resolved: contrast can only be useful if both good and evil are seen by humans.

Question 17

The logical problem of evil and aesthetics

Answer 17

States that from a much broader perspective: all suffering can contribute to moral the mora, beauty of the universe. Problem is that this beauty can only be seen by God which is why there seems to be meaningless suffering. To God it makes sense

Question 18

What are the 5 strengths?

Answer 18

1) Augustine doesn’t see evil as a separate entity, he refers to it as a privation of good. Evil exists from the inconsistent triad, rendering the triad consistent. however, even if evil doesn’t exist, suffering still does!
2) appeals to conservative beliefs and who accept angels the fall and original sin- internally coherent
3) shifts the blame for evil and its prime existence from God onto created beings (humans and angels)
4) God made the world perfect and didn’t create evil and therefore can’t be responsible for it
5) Augustine free will defence- appeals to the best possible world

Question 19

Why is Augustine’s theory incoherent for 3 reasons

Answer 19

1 evils isn’t a thing but at the same time a punishment

2. God not responsible for evil in this word but allows people to be out into hell and experience terrible suffering- shifted to after life
3. Blames humans for evil but says it’s useful as contributes to moral beauty

Question 20

Weakness to the fal

Answer 20

Myth and unscientific- cannot be used as an explanation for any evil

Question 21

The punishment of Adam and Eve is a weakness…

Answer 21

Unfair and unjust

Question 22

What does theodicy not provide to humans

Answer 22

Comfort in personal levels