free will defence Flashcards
where does the FWD take inspiration from?
Augustinian theodicy
what is the main idea of FWD?
evil is the result of humans free will rather than God’s free will
what are the two key points in FWD?
free will is an essential part of humanity because without it we would be like robots
genuine free will requires the genuine possibility of evil so if God takes away evil he takes away our free will
why is free will required for us to have?
(linked to God)
to have a genuine relationship with God
what does the FWD argue evil is the result of
human action when misusing their free will
this means God can’t be held accountable
means religious people can defend the existence of God despite evil
why has God given up control over human actions according to the FWD?
in order to bring about the greater good
why is evil as a result of free will worth it according to FWD?
gives the possibility to develop positive qualities
what can natural evil be seen as according to FWD?
a punishment for the misuse of free will
Swinburne’s argument as to why God can’t intervene to stop suffering:
+example
this jeopardises human freedom and takes away the need for responsibility and the need to develop or learn from the evil
death of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust
Swinburne FWD - how does God not intervening with evil show God is omnipotent?
he can only do what is logically possible and it is not logically possible to take away evil and also give us free will
Swinburne quote FWD
about the need for humans to have free will
‘he would be like an overprotective parent who will not let his child out of sight for a moment’
strengths of FWD:
(3 points)
provides logical reason for existence of moral evil by placing blame on humans
benefits of free will are enough to justify the evil (achieve unity with God)
can also account for certain types of natural evil e.g natural disasters
Swinburne uses example of death that it is vital due to its limited time so we don’t have eternity to make amends
weaknesses of FWD:
(3 points)
fails to explain existence of natural evil as they have nothing to do with free will
Mackie shows God could have created a world where we have free will but still always choose good (shows God is not omnibenevolent)
determinists argue free will doesn’t exist
if God is omniscient this means free will doesn’t exist and when we commit evil God knows so this shows he is not omnibenevolent
