Problem of Evil Flashcards
what is the inconsistent triad?
posed by epicurus and david hume
if evil exists then god can’t be all powerful and all loving
what is augustine’s soul deciding theodicy?
soul deciding means we decide to obey god or not, evil is a test
evils are ‘nothing but privations of natural good’
links to the fall - Adam and eve had eternal suffering this will also happen to humans
god does not stop loving us despite our evil and offers redemption through the saving work of jesus
how does augustine explain natural evil?
the result of disorder brought into the universe by the original sins of our ancestors
how does mackie counter augustine on his theodicy?
an omnipotent god, who which can do what is logically possible would be able to create humans with characters which meant they would freely choose to do good - but would this be free or predestined
what is iraneus theodicy?
god is a ‘potter moulding his clay’
evil allows us to reach divine likeness - “let us make man in our likeness”, this means we are made in God’s image but need to grow
Treats Adam and Eve as children in their moral immaturity - they disobeyed a rule but is part of humanity growing
we learn through experiencing evil in the way Jonah learns repentance through his time in the belly of a whale, without suffering we can’t know the good.
how does hick develop iranaeus theodicy?
iranean theodicy is ‘evil and the god of love’ - without pain we wouldn’t develop virtues such as charity
god creates epistemic distance so we can come to our rational conclusions - if gods hand was continually intervening there would be no genuine self-chosen activity
hick and iranaeus disagree over hell, hick believes in universal salvation and sees hell as a place of purgatory but ironies believes hell for those who go against god
what is swinburne and didactic evil?
natural evil is a precondition for moral evil - there has to be many evils for us to know the range of possible evils
god provides us with the opportunity to exercise full responsibility by allowing us the knowledge of many evils
what does monotheism mean?
there is only one god
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 1 augustine soul deciding theodicy
P1 – AUGUSTINE; FREE WILL AND FALLEN HUMAN NATURE
A: EVIL AS A RESULT OF FREE WILL AND FALLEN HUMAN NATURE
• Augustine’s soul-deciding theodicy – original perfection maintains God created a perfect world, “God saw everything he made and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1); moral evil is thus a privation boni, brought about by human free will and our fallen human nature/ Original Sin
• Natural evil occurs as a result of the disharmony, and acts as a punishment
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 1 COUNTER ARGUMENT theory of evolution,dawkins and aristotle
CA: THE FALL IS INACCURATE AND PESSIMISTIC
• Theory of evolution challenges the assumption that we have inherited the moral sins from ancient ancestors; pessimistic and irrational, “what kind of ethical philosophy is it that condemns every child, even before it is born, to inherit the sin of a remote ancestor?” (Richard Dawkins)
• Furthermore, if we accept we are fallen, God cannot justly punish us as if we are ignorant then we cannot be responsible for our actions (Aristotle)
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 1 COUNTER RESPONSE god’s grace (hans kung)
R: GOD’S GRACE
• Catholics see the Fall as the “Happy Fault of Adam” which gave way for the inexpressibly greater blessing of God’s grace, allowing the sins of the elect to be redeemed through Jesus’ salvation on the cross – God demonstrates his love through Jesus, and through suffering with us via his son on the cross (Hans Kung)
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 1 CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE jl mackie
CR: PERFECT GOD CREATING IMPERFECT HUMANS/ WORLD
• J L Mackie, in his article ‘Evil and Omnipotence’ argues why an omnipotent God could not create humans with characters which meant they would freely choose to do good?
• Augustine’s theodicy does not resolve the issue posed by the inconsistent triad – poses a view of an unloving or imperfect God (one who punishes an ignorant creation, has created imperfect humans) and arguably denies the evidential problem of evil (by arguing evil is a privation of good)
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 2 iranaeus and john hick
P2 – IRANAEUS/ HICK; FREE WILL AND GROWTH, DIVINE LIKENESS
A: EXPERIENCING EVIL AND SUFFERING ALLOWS US TO REACH DIVINE LIKENESS
• Iranaeus’ soul-making theodicy asserts that (unlike Augustine’s theodicy) humans have potential to reach God’s divine likeness, yet must grow and develop through suffering. Goodness is dependent on its purpose of developing us into better people.
• Hick develops Iranaeus theodicy by maintaining that a complete and genuine relationship with God can come only through free choice; if God’s hand were to continuously intervene, nature would lack regularity, and we would be forced to believe in God thus God must keep epistemic distance and allow us to suffer and make mistakes
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 2 counter argument dz phillips justifying evil
CA: ISSUE WITH INSTRUMENTAL EVIL
• D.Z. Philips ‘The Problem of Evil and The Problem of God’ – justifying evil for the benefit of others is a sign of a corrupt mind. The suffering of the victims at Auschwitz arguably serves no instrumental good for those who died. “Our moral growth is presented by Swinburne as the justification of those sufferings which he treats as a means of achieving it”, callousness towards the suffering of others
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 2 counter response greater plan of love
R: GREATER PLAN OF LOVE
• Still, the theodicy provides a more satisfactory answer than Augustine, as it accepts evil exists in the world and tries to understand the existence of evil in terms of a benevolent God. Iraneaus’ theodicy accepts evil exists and does not argue that the world is perfect – sadly some evils are huge and horrendous, but Aquinas highlights that God’s goodness is different to human goodness and God allows this evil as part of his plan of love which we are unaware of.
ESSAY PLAN
“Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?” “There is no satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. Discuss”
“Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evils enough to spare God from the blame for evils?”
“Does the need to create a vale of soul making justify the existence or extent of evils?”
POINT 2 conclusive response some evils are just bad, attenborough and fry
CR: DYSTELEOLOGICAL EVIL
• Some evils do not allow people to learn or grow; the theodicy isn’t wholly satisfactory, as it doesn’t give an answer for all evils, only less major ones that may allow us to grow from.
• Stephen Fry echoes David Attenborough’s comment that the God who put the whale in the ocean put the parasite in the eye of an impoverished child – this is no loving God, but a cruel one, one that Fry calls a “maniac”
