PHILOSOPHY - P.O.E ARGUMENTS

Question 1

WILLIAM ROWE EVIDENTIAL P.O.E ARGUMENT

Answer 1

• ACCEPTED THAT AN OMNIBENEVOLENT GOD WOULD ACCEPT SOME FORMS OF EVIL - SUSTAINABLE EVIL
  CONDITION 1 = RESULTS IN THE GREATER GOOD OF HUMANITY I.E. THE SOPHIE LANCASTER FOUNDATION
  CONDITION 2 = EVIL THAT PREVENTS SOMETHING WORSE FROM HAPPENING I.E. PEARL HARBOUR LEADING TO THE END OF THE WAR
• LEFTOVER EVIL = INTENSE HUMAN SUFFERING I.E. THE HOLOCAUST
• ROWE CONCLUDES THAT GOD DOESN’T EXIST, AS HE IS EITHER CRUEL OR NON EXISTENT

Question 2

EPICURUS’ EPICURIAN PARADOX

Answer 2

• ‘IF GOD CAN STOP EVIL, WHY DOES EVIL EXIST?’
• ‘IF GOD CAN STOP EVIL BUT CHOOSES NOT TO, HE IS CRUEL’
• ‘IF GOD WANTS TO STOP EVIL BUT CANNOT, HE IS IMPOTENT’
• CONCLUDES THAT BECAUSE EVIL EXISTS, GOD MUST LACK IN EITHER OMNIPOTENCE OR OMNIBENEVOLENCE - THIS WOULD MAKE HIM NOT A GOD
• HIS WORK WAS SO CONTROVERSIAL, HE WAS BANNED FROM ATHENS AND ALL OF HIS WORK WAS BURNED

Question 3

JON MACKIE INCONSISTENT TRIAD

Answer 3

• THREE STATEMENTS
  1. GOD IS OMNIPOTENT
  2. GOD IS OMNIBENEVOLENT
  3. EVIL EXISTS
• BELIEVED THAT ALL 3 WERENT COHESIVE, AND CREATED 3 DIFFERENT OUTCOMES
  1. GOD IS OMNIPOTENT & OMNIBENEVOLENT AND EVIL DOESNT EXIST - INCORRECT
  2. GOD IS OMNIPOTENT BUT NOT OMNIBENEVOLENT, AND EVIL EXISTS - RELIGIOUS PEOPLE DISAGREE
  3. GOD ISNT OMNIPOTENT, GOD IS OMNIBENEVOLENT, AND EVIL EXISTS - RELIGIOUS PEOPLE DISAGREE
• DUE TO THIS CONFUSION, MACKIE SAID IT WAS EASIER TO ARGUE THAT GOD DOESNT EXIST

Question 7

GREGORY PAUL PREMATURE DEATHS

Answer 7

• ESTIMATED THAT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, 100 BILLION PEOPLE HAD LIVED, AND 50 BILLION DIED PREMATURELY (BEFORE 18)
• DEATHS WERE A RESULT OF NATURAL EVIL I.E. NATURAL DISASTERS AND MORAL EVIL I.E. MURDER
• FAILED CONCEPTION ALSO CONSIDERED AS PREMATURE DEATHS - 350 BILLION PREMATURE DEATHS
• CONCLUDES THAT AN OMNIBENEVOLENT GOD DOESNT EXIST