the problem of evil Flashcards
1
Q
what are the two types of evil
A
natural evil and moral evil
2
Q
define natural evil
A
pain and suffering caused by natural processes
3
Q
define moral evil
A
pain and suffering caused by the freely chosen action of humans
4
Q
what are the two arguaments for the problem of evil
A
the strong (in the philosophical sense) logical argument and the weaker evidentail probelm
5
Q
whats the main difference between the logical problem and the evidential probel
A
- logical is aprioir and dedecutive (despite having the one aposteriori cliam that evil exists)
- the evidential argument is aposteriori and inductive
6
Q
put simply what is the point of the logical argument
A
god does not exist because belief in god involves contradictions between his attributes and the very existence of evil in the world
7
Q
what do the logical and evidnetail argument think about the belief of god
A
- logical= belief in god is irrational
- eviddential= belief in god is unreasonable
8
Q
put simply what is the evidential argument
A
the amount and the distribution of evil makes it less likely that good exists, given his attibutes
8
Q
formally outline the logical problem
A
- if god is omnipotent he has the power to prevent evil
- if god iss omnibenevolent, he would want to prevent evil
- if god is omniscient he would know how to prevent evil
- evil exists
- therefore, an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent god cannot exist as what is logically impossible
9
Q
what iis the main difference between the aetheist problem of evil and the religous problem
A
- for the atheist natural evil is not a problem as there are no steps they can take to prevent it
- for religous people they believe in an all powerful god who would stop these devsatating wide s cale events from occuring
10
Q
what does sartre say regardin the problem of evil
A
- pain and suffering are just a fact of existence
- we should just live with the fact that there is no god and accept the consequences of his absence
- feel abandonned by him
11
Q
why does sartre say that believing in god is bad faith
A
- because sartre believes in free will
- just submitting to this imaginary power and hoping that all our actions will amount to something is dangerous when we can control it
12
Q
how does midgley differ from sartre
A
- while both atheists she takes a more determinist view point
13
Q
how does midgley see evil
A
- she sees evil as being a lack of something not as being a metaphysical thing
- we are aqll vulnerbale to this
- need to look into it pyschologically and learn to understand how to control it and limit it
14
Q
define fatalism
A
you cant do anything to chnage what your “fate” is
15
Q
define determinsim
A
causes for things can be identified and some degree of predictiveness is possible
16
Q
what is the evidential problem of evil
A
- due to the distirbution of evil in the world there is good evidence that god probably does not exist (this is a weak argument in the sens ethat is doesnt make strong claims)
17
Q
translate privatio bonito
A
lack of good
18
Q
what are the 4 theological responses to the evidential problem
A
- alternative theology
- afterlife defence
- free wil defence
- soul making defence
19
Q
put simply what is alternative theology
A
- god does exist but he must lack omnipotence, omniscience or omnibenevolence (but this is sort of admitting defeat)
20
Q
put simply what is the afterlife defence
A
- god exists and has all his attributes, the existenceof pain and suffering in the world is balanced out by an even greater good in the after life
21
Q
put simply what is the free will defence
A
- god does exist and does so with his attributes and pain and suffering is simply the consequence of the greater good of free will
22
Q
put simply what is the soul making defence
A
- god exists with his attributes and pain and suffering leads to the greater good of fulfilled human potential
23
Q
what are the three alternative theologies
A
- theological anti-relaism
- process thology
- non-monotheismw
24
what is theological anti-realism
god does not literally exist
25
what is process theology
god cant eradicate or prevent eil but is a "fellow sufferer who understands" he has infinite persuasive powers to influence us though
26
what is non-monothesim
god is not the only powerful deity but locked in a battle with an evil counterpart
27
what is an objection to alternative theologiies
- admitting defeat
-departs from core beliefs about gods nature
- the problem of evil poses a massive threat to the classic concept of god and thus to attempt to abandon or modifiy this concept is to admit defeat to the problem
28
what is hicks afterlife defense
- pain and suffering is outweighed by the potential for unlimited and eternal happiness in the next life
- says that the problem of evil only arises when we fcus on the cruelties and the horror of this world
29
what is an objection to hicks after life defense
- he actually seems to make the problem even bigger
- allows an all loving god to cause infinte suffering = hell
- also using the after life as a solution creates a problem itself as it cannot be shown apriori, analytically or even aposteriori
30
simply outline augustines free will defense
- god created a perfect world in which humans have free will
- adam and eve introduced evil into the world
- the perfect creation was thus corrupted by free human action
- therefore evil is the responsibility of humans not god aas it is an inevitable byproduct of free will
31
what is a theodicy
- makes a claim on gods motives
32
summarise augustines argument
- we have free will because a world with free will and evil is more perfect than a world with no free will and no evil
33
what is one objection to augustines free will argument
- augustine only applies this to moral evil
- natural evil existed before humans and free will
34
how may augustine refute the natural evil objection to his free will argument
- original sins caused natural evils
35
how can one refute auugsutines response to the natural evil objection
- creates a clear conflict with the timeline of the planet
- overly literal reading of genesis
- MOST IMPORTANTLY, why should animals have to suffer for human mistakes ??
36
what did leibiniz say the perfect god would create
- the best of all possible worlds
37
what does leibniz's idea then mean for the problem of evil
- however much evil there is or however horrendous it is it is the right amount in the right place at the right time in the best of all possible worlds
38
formally outline mackies objection to the free will argument
p1 it is logically possible for me to choose to do good on one or any occasion
p2 it is logically possible for any individual to choose to do good throughout their life
p3 god is omnipotent and can create any possible world
C1 therefore god could have created a world in which we were all geniunly free, yet choose to do good
P4 god did not create such a world
C2 therefore either god is omnipotent oor he is not wholly good
39
what is the aim of platingas free will defense
to show that a god of this nature could have created a world containing significant pain and suffering and that there is no inconsistency in this
40
why does leibniz argue that it had to be that god made the best of all possible worlds
- because of his nature
- god is perfect
41
how does voltaire critic leibniz
- if we live in the best of all possible worlds currently and all these awful things still happen then imagine what all the other wolds are like
- essentailly what he is arguing here is that it is so so crazy for leibniz to claim he can know this apriori
42
what does it mean if someone is a compatibilist
- mixture of determinsim and free will
43
what is anthony flews ideas
- why couldnt god create a possible world in which humans have good nature and free will
- flew claims that a freely chosen action is simply one which its cause orginates from inside the person
44
how can one object to flew
- how is it free will if we can never choose otherwise
- sounds like we are simply incapable of choosing evil
- there would be no moral dilemmas so how could we be said to have free will
45
what does plantinga mean be "significantly free beings"
- not inevitable that they always choose good
46
what is the main objection to plantingas argument
- is free will worth it
- fwd only really covers moral evi as well
- surely a world with free will is only better if more positive than negative morally significant acts are chosen
47
how does plantinga attempt to solve the problem of natural evil
- satan
48
Explain 'The world is better with some evil than with none'.
The existence of evil allows people to demonstrate certain good behaviours, or virtues, like bravery and courage, or self sacrifice. God allows evil so that this type of good is possible.
49
ex nihilo
out of nothing
50
what is the rpblem of evil put simply
that there is an inconsistency between god's uncalimed attributes and the presence of evil in the world
51
what is meant by the term epistemic distance
far enough from god to remain free with ur choices
52
why must there be pain and suffering in the world according to hick
- as the world is not intended to be a paradise
- rather the scene of a history in which human personality can be formed
53
why does hick say that moral evil exists
because moral goodneess iss built up
54
how does hik explain the sufferring of animals
- able to understand our place in nature
- we see their sturggles to survive and we can appreciate our conectedness and similarity to them and tis allows our development
55
how does hick explain terrible evils usch as mass murders and genocides
- if god kept removing evils based off of severity then our oppurtunities for growth and development would diminish with each layer of evil removed
56
what is the strongest objection to hick's soul making argument
that it relies on the assumption that there is an after life
- as our souls must eveentually be perfected
