Philosophy Theme 2 key terms

Question 1

What is a theodicy?

Answer 1

Greek - ‘theos’ - God
‘dike’ - righteous
a justification of the righteousness of God, given the existence of evil

Question 2

Concupiscence

Answer 2

sin inherited from the loins of Adam - humans are born with concupiscence

Question 3

Moral evil

Answer 3

suffering brought about through the actions of a free-will agent e.g. murder, theft

Question 4

Natural evil

Answer 4

evil brought about by the means of a force outside the control of free-will agents, often called ‘nature’ e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis

Question 5

privation

Answer 5

an absence of something normally present - evil is a privation of good (Augustine)

Question 6

second order goods

Answer 6

virtues that cannot be developed without challenges to test such virtues e.g. courage, perseverance
(Irenaeus)

Question 7

eschatological justification

Answer 7

eschatology - study of end times
justification - being made righteous before God
humans/Christians reconciliation with God in heaven

Question 8

epistemic distance

Answer 8

Hick - God purposefully put himself at an epistemic distance from creation - he cannot become involved in human affairs otherwise he would limit human freedom