The problem of evil-paper 1- God and the world Flashcards
What did Mackie believe about the problem of evil?
Says the problem of evil is a logical one for people who aim to believe in an all powerful, all good, all loving God.
Those three characteristics do not seem to be able to logically exist together at the same time.
What did Spinoza believe about the problem of evil?
Jewish philosopher- no inherent, objective good or evil, only how we know things. if things turn out bad for us or people we care about we might label the events ‘evil’, even though objectively speaking, the events are neutral.
What does Leibniz believe about the problem of evil?
Suggests that this might be ‘the best of all possible worlds’ and that evil s necessary for various reasons e.g it can make us value human life and show compassion.
What does mill believe about the problem of evil?
The evidential problem of evil- we can experience horrific things happing for our ourselves, so it is difficult to believe in a good God.
What does Augustine believe about the problem of evil?
Augustine’s theodicy= evil is a privation of good;- evil is the result of the misuse of free will and that an all- knowing God knew that this would happen because he wanted to redeem humans through Christ.
What did Augustine also say about evil?
He said that evil and ‘some things better than others’ was a result of a huge planet populated with so many different kinds of living and non- living things (the principle of plenitude).
What did Irenaeus say about the problem of evil?
We are currently made in the ‘image’ of God, which means we can use reason and make choices- but choices do not always lead to good things happening.
What does Irenaeus mean by becoming the ‘likeness’ of God?
A process which involves using free will, making mistakes, experiencing the mistakes of other people and gradually having our soul refined to a God-like state.
What does Hick believe about the problem of evil?
‘The vale of soul making’- Building on Irenaeus, Hick suggested that this realm is one of making souls.
Hick said that humans are created in what?
Humans are created in moral imperfection with free will and reason at their disposal to navigate their way through a world of pain in order to learn and achieve their true, Christ- like identities.
- There is an epistemic distance between God and humans to allow humans to grow into knowledge of God and their nature.
