Problem of Evil Flashcards
1
Q
What is the logical POE?
A
- Mackie, Hume, and Epicurus
- Deductive and a posteriori
- Argues the existence of evil is incompatible with God’s existence.
- Since God alone created the universe ex nihilo, out of nothing, he has total responsibility for everything in it. If he is omnipotent, then he can do anything that is logically possible. So, he could have created a world free from evil and suffering.
- Since God is omniscient, he has the knowledge to stop these events.
- If God is all-loving, he would wish to end all evil.
- Mackie, “A wholly good being eliminates evil as far as it can.”
- Hume said that after examining the qualities of God with evil, only two can exist alongside each other. Therefore, either God is not omnipotent of God is not all loving or evil does not exist. However, evil does exist and so God must be either impotent or malicious.
- Epicurus, inconsistent triad, evil and suffering exist in the world, God is all-powerful, God is all-loving, these are inconsistent.
2
Q
What is the evidential POE?
A
- Rowe
- Inductive and a posteriori
- Argues that evil and suffering is evidence against the existence of God which he concludes is improbable.
- Bases his argument around the form of evil that he describes as ‘intense human and animal suffering’ that ‘occurs on a daily basis’ and ‘is in great plenitude in our world’.
- Rowe accepts that if this evil and suffering resulted in a greater good then it would be justified.
- However, Rowe argues that this is not required for a greater good.
- There exist instances of animal suffering which an omnipotent omniscient being could have prevented without losing greater good.
- An omniscient, good being would prevent these if they could.
- Therefore, the being does not exist as these happen.
- Example of fawn in tree suffering for days.
3
Q
What is the Free Will Defence?
A
- Argues that free will is an essential part of humanity, without which we would be robots.
- Argues that genuine free will requires the genuine possibility of evil.
- Argues that the extent of evil in history is in some way necessary to our free will which would explain why God does not step in and end it.
- States that evil is a result of human action and therefore God is not to be held accountable for it.
- Kierkegaard parable of the king and the peasant girl.
4
Q
What is Swinburne’s support for the FWD?
A
- Swinburne supports the FWD. Swinburne argues that God does not intervene as this would jeopardise human free will even in the holocaust.
- “The less he allows men to bring about large-scale horrors, the less the freedom and responsibility he gives them.”
- God can only do the logically possible and it would not be logically possible to end evil and grant free will.
5
Q
What are the strengths of the FWD?
A
- Provides a logical reason for the existence of moral evil in the world.
- If God created a world where humans had free choice, but always chose good then Plantinga says the world would not be free.
- To go to heaven you need free choice, parable of sheep and goat.
6
Q
What are the weaknesses of the FWD?
A
- Vardy, fails to explain the existence of natural evil.
- Mackie, God could have created a world where humans have free choice but always choose good. “there cannot be a logical impossibility in his freely choosing the good on every occasion.”
- Determinists say that we are determined anyways so our freedom is an illusion.
7
Q
What is Hick’s Soul Making Theodicy?
A
- Rejects Augustinian theodicy as it is a ‘product of religious imagination’.
- Prefer Irenaeus theodicy as humans did not fall from perfection but rather created as inferior beings with the capacity to become ‘children of God’.
- Humans are made for a love relationship with God.
- Humans “created in God’s image’.
- So, whereas Augustine’s world is soul-deciding, Hick’s is soul-making.
- This relationship with God can only be achieved through freely choosing between good and evil.
- Humans have to exist at an epistemic distance to God or else they would not be free as they would do whatever God wants them to.
- World has to contain a range of moral and natural evils to choose between.
- Hick rejects Mackie’s argument that God could create us free with the ability to only choose good.
8
Q
What are Hick’s responses to the three problems with his argument??
A
- A. His theodicy does not justify animal suffering, animals have no fear of death or of future evils.
- B. Pointless evils in the world, epistemic distance.
- C. Does not justify the extent of evil in the world, all evils are a matter of degree.
9
Q
What are the strengths of SMT?
A
- Epistemic distance from God.
- Evil is necessary for soul-making.
- If doctrine of hell is true, then it is the worst evil.
10
Q
What are the weaknesses of SMT?
A
- Admits there is no explanation for degree of animal suffering then gives one with epistemic distance.
- If all humans are saved, what was the point in Jesus’ crucifixion?
- What is the point in pilgrimage if we are all saved?
11
Q
What is Process Theodicy?
A
- Griffin
- Rejects creation ex nihilo, from nothing, based on mistranslation earth was to earth being without form and void.
- Rejects God’s omnipotence, if creation from chaos is true, these chaotic materials will have power of their own which opposes God’s. So, God is not omnipotent.
- Believes that God and the universe exist necessarily, panentheistically, and eternally.
- God is therefore not transcendent and so cannot intervene to eliminate evil.
12
Q
What are the strengths of PT?
A
- Sense of realism about what God can do.
- Chaos at quantum level supports Griffin’s rejection of God’s omnipotence.
- God suffers as humans do.
13
Q
What are the weaknesses of PT?
A
- Roth, God who is omnipotent is ‘rather pathetic’ and is not worthy of worship.
- Why did God start a process he cannot control?
- God cannot control evil.
