The Problem of Evil

Question 1

What were Epicurus’ dates?

Answer 1

341-260BC

Question 2

What did Epicurus say about evil in the world?

Answer 2

“Is God able to prevent evil and willing to? Then why is there evil?”

Question 3

What does Epicurus’ problem highlight?

Answer 3

Issues for a religious believer?

Question 4

What were JL Mackie’s dates?

Answer 4

1917-1981

Question 5

What was Mackie’s ‘logical problem’?

Answer 5

If God is really omnipotent, that must mean he has control over ‘causal laws’. Thus, why does God not stop evil events?

Question 6

The amount of evil in the world challenges (PoE)

Answer 6

the supposed goodness of the creator

Question 7

Evil and suffering… (PoE)

Answer 7

is indiscriminative. Everyone can be affected.

Question 8

What is the difference between moral evil and natural evil? (PoE)

Answer 8

Moral evils are caused by the free will of people, natural evils are caused by the natural world.

Question 9

What is a theodicy?

Answer 9

Rational effort to explain how evil + God can co-exist.

Question 10

What is Augustine’s theodicy?

Answer 10

God is the omnipotent creator.
Creation WAS harmonious.
Hierarchy of angels, man and animals.
Evil is a privation of goodness.
As we have free will, angels and humans fell from God.
Disharmony fell the fall, led to natural evil.
Free will is valuable as it makes us appreciate good more - aesthetic principle.

Question 11

Augustine’s theodicy - Where did he get inspiration from?

Answer 11

Genesis 1-3, both literally and mythologically.

Question 12

Augustine’s theodicy - What is evil?

Answer 12

An absence of goodness. McCabe - ‘not living up to expectations’

Question 13

Augustine’s theodicy - Where does evil come from?

Answer 13

Evil comes from god as he causes everything, and allows us to have free will which leads to morally evil choices.

Question 14

Augustine’s theodicy - Can people be totally evil?

Answer 14

No. To be evil we need to lack goodness, but as some point there must’ve been some form of goodness. If there was no good there would be nothing to corrupt.

Question 15

Augustine’s theodicy - What was the ‘original sin’?

Answer 15

Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden tree.

Question 16

Augustine’s theodicy - What are devils?

Answer 16

Fallen angels

Question 17

Augustine’s theodicy - Who are we all seminally present in?

Answer 17

Adam, we all share his first sin.

Question 18

Augustine’s theodicy - Why do we have free will?

Answer 18

We have free will as it is more valuable than being robots that just follow God.

Question 19

Augustine’s theodicy - What is the AESTHETIC PRINCIPLE?

Answer 19

Contrast between good+evil shows the beauty of goodness.

Question 20

Augustine’s theodicy - What are the criticisms?

Answer 20

If everything must've been good at some point, does that mean the Devil was once good?
Hick - implausible for the modern man
Existence of angels has to be accepted
How are we present in Adam?
How can a perfect world go wrong?

Question 21

What is the Irenaean Theodicy?

Answer 21

God is the omnipotent creator.
Earth and us develop, from God’s “image” into his “likeness”
To develop there is natural evil to tempt us away to make judgement fairer
Epistemic distance between God and us grants us freedom - transcendence
We will all eventually be in God’s “likeness”

Question 22

Irenaean Theodicy - What was taken literally?

Answer 22

The story of the fall

Question 23

Irenaean Theodicy - Who was to blame for original evil?

Answer 23

The serpent

Question 24

Irenaean Theodicy - God’s punishment is…

Answer 24

educative. We need to gain wisdom to become in his likeness

Question 25

Irenaean Theodicy - Criticisms

Answer 25

Plausible?

Suffering still exists, conflict with benevolence.

Question 26

Theodicies - conclusion

Answer 26

Important, addresses issues of evil

Free will is important