Problem of Evil Flashcards
Theme 3A
Who was Kevin Carter and what happened to him?
He was a South African photographer who won a Pulitzer Prize for taking an image of a Sudanese child who was stalked by a vulture. However, he commits suicide due to the guilt that he had because he did not save the child.
What was the quote that Wilkinson and Campbell said regarding evil?
Evil is not presented as a theoretical problem but an inescapable reality of living.
What did Stephen Fry say regarding the problem of evil?
It is the rock of atheism
What is the Logical Problem?
It is an inconsistent triad where you cannot possess all 3 things simultaneously because it becomes a contradicting paradox.
What are the 3 things in the Inconsistent Triad?
God is all-loving
God is all-powerful
Evil exists.
What is the Epicurean Formulation?
Developed by Epicurus in around 300 BCE and he questioned:
“Is God willing to prevent evil but not able to? Therefore is he not omnipotent?”
“Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent (wishing to do evil on others)”
“Is he both able and willing? Then where does evil come from?”
“Is he neither able nor willing? Then why is he a God?”
What is the Epicurean Formulation also considered to be called?
The Classical Formulation
Who developed a formulation based upon the classical formulation?
JL Mackie
Who did Mackie say was the problem of evil only considered one for?
It was only a problem for people who believe that God is omnibenevolent and omnipotent
What did he say about evil if there is a compromise occurring?
Then evil ceases to be a problem
What is the argument essentially saying?
It is a simple form of the argument saying that God is omnipotent and wholly good, but the fact that evil exists undermines that
There is no problem of evil for atheists.
What is the nature of evil?
Good and Evil are overarching opposites of all experiences but each exist in a relationship to each other.
What have philosophers become more interested in the last 30 years?
Interested in the concept of evil and those who are motivated by evil acts that are committed.
Why do we need the concept of evil?
The significance of the word instead of having that perpetrators be called “very very bad” instead.
What is Natural Evil?
Form of evil and suffering that is not derived via human cause
Give examples of natural evil
Animal Suffering
Natural Disaster Suffering
Pain resulting from disease and a poor design of the body
Psychological illness
Who said this?
Peter Vardy in the Puzzle of Evil
Why can we not claim that natural evil does not exist?
Because we are always affected by it
What are believers left with as possibilities?
Either that evil is the fault of humanity and not God
or
God created natural evil which good justifications to do so.
What is Moral Evil?
Evil caused by humanity.
Give examples of moral evil?
Bullying, stealing, vandalising, terrorism
What do some theists argue about moral evil?
It is our fault because God is not forcing us to do such sinful acts, but free will is the reason it happens.
What is a counter argument to this about free will?
If God was all-knowing then surely he would know what would happen if he gave us free will. and so why did God make it this way?
Who is William Rowe?
He created a book called “God and the Problem of Evil” in 1979 and stated that God had acceptable grounds to have limited suffering on humans for us to grow and develop as a species.
What does he argue is not acceptable?
He said that the intense suffering that humans endure is deemed unacceptable, as well as animal suffering being pointless because it is avoidable.
What are some case studies that Rowe links to?
The fawn in a forest that gets stuck under a falling tree
In 1986, there was a 5 year old girl in Flint, Michigan who died because of severe and horrendous acts done to her.
Who was Gregory S Paul?
He argued that the fact that there was so many infant and child deaths proves the existence of God because he estimated that 50 billion children died naturally.
Why can children be considered to be innocent?
Children are too young to experience free will and therefore no omnibenevolent or omnipotent being would permit such a thing
What is the problem that Paul states?
There is one intelligent creator who is morally perfect but his creation experience these terrible things.
How did Paul come to this assessment?
He uses data and scientific means to reach conclusions
Is there evidence to suggest that prayer reduced suffering?
There is no historical evidence that prayer reduced suffering in Christian majority nations.
What did Richard Swinburne say?
There is no easy answers and that “God cannot give us goods in full measure without allowing evil”
What did DZ Phillips say?
It is never justifiable to harm someone in order to help them and therefore the love of God shows itself in a way the believer loves his fellow humans.
God’s reality and divinity are one.
