Platinga's free will defence Flashcards
How does Platinga disagree with Mackie?
Argues that the three elements of the inconsistent triad are compatible
What does P focus on?
He focuses on the value of free will. He says that evil is the result of free will but that God chose to create humans who were free to commit evil because of the tremendous value that also arises
Give a quote from P where he states the importance of free will
‘A world containing creatures who are significantly free is more valuable, all else equal, than a world containing no free creatures at all’ (Plantinga)
Why is free will necessary for P?
Free will and the subsequent evil are needed so that greater goods can be achieved, specifically the idea that humans can perform acts that are morally good
Give a quote from P where he explains his idea that evil is necessary
‘To create creatures capable of moral good, therefore, he must create creatures capable of moral evil’ (Plantinga)
What type of free will is P talking about?
Plantinga is referring to libertarian free will – we have the choice to behave how we wish and whether to do something or not – we are not robots controlled by God
How does P shift responsibility away from God and towards humans by focusing on free will?
Plantinga thinks that we are morally responsible for our actions. This means that because we are free to perform morally good or morally bad acts, we can be condemned or praised for them because they are acts, we freely chose to perform. Crucially, this means that without free there will be no morally good actions, since an act is only good if we are not forced or coerced into doing it
Give a quote from P where he talks about how evil is necessary for good
‘God could not of created a world containing moral good without creating one that also contained moral evil’
Why is P’s arguement that good depends upon the existence of evil flawed?
Because God is omnipotent, he should not be bound by what is logically possible, which is what it seems Plantinga is suggesting here
How does P use libertarian free will to defend God and what is the counter to this view?
Plantinga says that God could not have created us with free will in such a way that we always chose to do the right thing as this would be inconsistent with libertarian free will and therefore a logical impossibility. However, if God is omnipotent, he should not be bound by what is logically possible
How does Mackie challenge arguements from free will such as this?
Mackie points out that if God created us with free will then it calls his omnipotence into question, since he can no longer control us. Theologians would argue that God can intervene and control us but chooses not to. Mackie would then argue that this would mean that God is not omnibenevolent because he has the power to stop evil acts but chooses not to
