the soul making theodicy- john hick Flashcards
basics
alt theodicy
irenaeus- human were created as imperfect beings
hick draws on the idea to develop soul making theodicy
hick asks why god created human as imperfect and immature
if god good= there is a reason
hick argues there is more value in human goodness which comes about through toil and effort like children developing and growing than in goodness which requires no effort at all.
hick says were not god’s pets put into a comfortable cage for us to live in for a life of pleasure and health
it is the experience of pain and suffering that enables our moral and spiritual development.
the world is though but it is a vale of soul-making in which our souls are forged strengthened and matured.
standard form
p1 god who is omnipotent omniscient and supremely good aims to create a world that will enable free agents to fully develop and grow morally and spiritually
p2 a world in which free agents are imperfect but grow spiritually and ethical is a greater good than a world that is a safe pleasurable paradise
conc 1 responding to pain and suffering enables free agents to grow morally and spiritually
conc 2 therefore it is a greater good for god to create a world with pain and suffering to enable free agents to grow.
hick draws ideas from irenaean theodicy
hick draws on the idea that trials and tribulations of life exist to help us to develop from immaturity to maturity.
basic ideas
man was not made perfect form the beginning
man was made in the image of god, not the likeness
god could have made man perfect but he says that man when created was like an infant and as such count not receive the perfection god could have bestowed on him
man was created in a state of immaturity- so Irenaeus doesn’t see adam and eve’s since as a catastrophe like how Augustine sees it, rather like a childish mistake something born from immaturity and naivete.
sees the trials and difficulties of life which human beings may struggle for the perfect that would mean they possessed the likeness of god not simply his image.
irenaeus draws on the distinction between image of god and likeness of god in man
he says man is made in the image of god
but as he is not yet perfect he doesn’t possess the likeness of god
accounts for moral evil and natural evil
moral evil is the result of free will and helps humans to develop.
natural evil- it is a greater good that there are consistent physical laws which we can discover than that god is constantly intervening to prevent natural evils.
both natural and moral evil has a place in the creation of the world by a god.
criticism- evidential problem of evil
there is simply too much pointless evil, this could be removed by god and humans would still be able to mature so the existence of pointless evil still counts against the existence of god.
hick draws on the idea that trials and tribulations of life exist to help us to develop from immaturity to maturity.
vale of soul-making theodicy
a mistake pointed out by hick is that it’s a mistake to suppose that god’s concern for us as his creatures or children would be best displayed by his making this world as comfortable and cosy as possible.
god’s relation to us on the analogy of a human being making a cage for a pet and wishing the pet well
the correct analogy is a parent to their children. parents want their children to have pleasure but want them to grow up ethically mature possess moral integrity etc however these can only be developed from confronting difficulties from time to time and learning to overcome them.
God has arranged the world in such a way that humans can develop, however by facing such frustrations human beings can develop their souls can grow and they can move toward god.
hidden god
part of god’s plan to be a hidden god not known directly. indeed he says the world must be set up as if there were no god. we lack immediate consciousness of god. we stand at an epistemic distance (distance in knowledge) from god.
dysteleological suffering
the truth is that a great deal of the suffering to which human beings are subjected is quite simply pointless: it doesn’t contribute to the growth of the soul
this kind of pointless suffering he calls dysteleological suffering remains a mystery we can here and now understand its purpose
soul making after death
the aim of a theodicy- we can make sense of suffering within the context of god’s loving care for his creatures. invoke the idea that soul-making goes on not simply in this but also after death.
meaning and point of suffering are that it contributes to the soul-making of those who have to bear it. it is clearly the case that in this world lot of suffering does not do this.
if all souls are to be perfected the soul-making will continue after death.
criticisms- list
plausibility- doesnt seem plausibility specially the part about death
justice- universal salvation is unjust
the existence of suffering- god is responsible for the suffering
is suffering a price worth paying? is so much suffering necessary?
do the ends justify the means- kant rejects this as it is not a moral action
death of Jesus
issues- plausibility
hick rejects the theodicy of Augustine as implausible, but many are concerned about the plausibility of his own theodicy, particularly his eschatological aspect
he asks that his argument be viewed as a reasonable interpretation
issues- justice
human beings are responsible for their own actions and God will judge them.
justice is seen as a matter of treating people as they deserve.
therefore many believe that universal salvation is unjust. it is almost like saying you can do wrong in life but ultimately this will not matter.
issues- the existence of suffering
god is explicitly responsible for creating a world in which here are natural disaster and implicitly responsible for the suffering that arises from them.
plainly to contrast with the notion of god as loving or good.
