In order to analyze the skeptical theistic response to the problem of evil, we must first know what the problem of evil claims. Little is needed if the majority of group members are operating with the beliefs. It is laid out in two premises and a conclusion, as follows. This is the problem with answering the problem of evil.
Even in trying to briefly reconstruct the case, ive exceeded the word count i typically use for my daily blog. The problem of evil and some varieties of atheism, american philosophical quarterly, 16. The problem, in short, is that any axiological formulation of the argument from evil, as it stands, is incomplete in a crucial respect, since it fails to make explicit how a failure to bring about good states of affairs, or a failure to prevent bad states of affairs, entails that one is acting in a morally wrong way. The problem of evil coined by epicurus states that. You dont have to believe humans do or dont have freewill for this response to work at the level that it works. Process theology and open theism are other positions that limit gods. The blackwell companion to the problem of evil presents a collection of original essays providing both overview and insight, clarifying and evaluating the philosophical and theological problem of evil in its various contexts and manifestations. Generally, a defense against the problem of evil may refer to attempts to defuse the logical problem of evil by showing that there is no logical incompatibility between the existence of evil and the existence of god. The problem of evil oxford readings in philosophy 1st. The problem of evil is deadly, and if your book consists of this kind of idiocy. Problem of evil, the problem of reconciling the existence of evil with the.
Responses to various versions of the problem of evil, meanwhile, come in three. Responses to various versions of the problem of evil, meanwhile, come in three forms. The same suffering, grief, terror, anger, envy, and other mental states that we associate with evil still occur. An account of the resurgence of philosophical theism in our time, including a brief survey of prominent anti theistic arguments such as the presumption of atheism, the incoherence of theism, and the problem of evil, along with a defense of theistic arguments like the contingency argument, the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, and the moral argument. The question concerning the nature of evil is a longstanding one but i would go so far as to say that in this profound book, the philosopher paul kahn has gone a very long way in answering it. Indeed, he may have written more on that subject than any other philosopher. Even the book of proverbs, despite its occasional flashes of cynicism, essentially.
I do not think that the theistic hypothesis is the best response to the problem of evil in the world. Hick argues that moral evil is a result of the mystery of free will. Mccloskey, god and evil,philosophical quarterly 10 1960, pp. Theism and the meaning of life abstract theists are inclined to assert that human life would be meaningless if there was no personal immortality and god did not exist. Cornelius hunter has recently published darwins god. He argues that in our secular age we have given reason such a dominant place in our u. The best books on evil five books expert recommendations. Kreefy stresses the extent that this problem of evil challenges theism, going so far as to claim that more people have abandoned their faith because of this problem than for any other reason. Adam and eve and the problem of evil by paul w kahn. Even the book of proverbs, despite its occasional flashes of cynicism, essentially reflects this view. Five views edited by chad meister and james some of the most helpful books in the field of biblical and theological studies have come in the form of.
Theistic responses to the problem of evil flashcards quizlet. The problem with answering the problem of evil cold case. Compassion, for instance, is of great value, but can only exist if there is suffering. In his book on the free choice of the will,4 he provided in seminal form what. In philosophy of religion, some moveslike appealing to evil to support atheism or appealing to. The most famous argument against theism is the argument from evildoes not the occurrence of pain and wickedness show that there is not a good god in control of the universe. Mccloskey composed a strong argument on how being an atheist was far superior to the theistic lifestyle.
If god was all good, all powerful and all knowing, he would not allow the existence of evil. Hence god is logically possible, despite the problem of evil. After weeks of exploring the existence of nature of god, today hank explores one of the biggest problems in theism, and possibly the biggest philosophical question. This volume fills that need, offering the most uptodate collection of recent scholarship on the problem of evil. He considered it to be the argument that, more than any other, reveals the logical status of. Mackie in his famous article, evil and omnipotence. One of the most important theologians in the history of the christian church was st. One argument, known as the free will defense, claims that evil is caused not by god but by human beings, who must be allowed to choose evil if they are to have free will. The second response to the problem of evil is that the existence of evil is a necessary condition for the existence of certain kinds of good.
The problem of evil stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The author explains one of the most wellknown response to mackies version of the logical problem of evil, the freewill defense by alvin plantinga. A response to wykstra, international journal for philosophy of religion, 16. Perhaps the most difficult issue concerning the relation between morality and. Skeptical theism and the problem of evil michael bergmann. An excellent, fictional introduction to the problem of evil and twelve theistic responses to the problem.
A critical analysis on the problem of evil theistic approach thesis statement. Oct, 2015 such an approach is, in my view, by far the most reasonable theistic response to the problem of evil basically to say that apparently pointless evil and suffering constitute some evidence against the existence of an allgood, allpowerful god, but not sufficient evidence against to make belief unwarranted. Perhaps my response to the problem of evil would look a little thinner if free will falls by the wayside, but it would not be overwhelmed. The problem of evil offers a comprehensive examination of the problem of evil from both technical and ministerial perspectives. I do not think that it shows that at all, but in a short paper i can only refer to my arguments on this point elsewhere,4 and to the arguments of others.
Evolution and the problem of evil, 1 an excellently researched book which reexamines darwins motives for developing the theory of evolution. Thus peter van inwagen, throughout his book the problem of evil. He believes the occurrence of nonmoral evil in the world is a necessary condition for the ethics of choice and the process of soulmaking. An account of the resurgence of philosophical theism in our time, including a brief survey of prominent antitheistic arguments such as the presumption of atheism, the incoherence of theism, and the problem of evil, along with a defense of theistic arguments like the contingency argument, the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, and the moral argument. God is almighty, god is perfectly good, and evil exists. While the objection can be stated in a sentence of two, the response cannot. Skeptical theism has both a skeptical component and a theistic component. The problem of evil is inadequate to disprove the existence of god. The problem of evil poses a philosophical threat to the design argument because. Author and acclaimed philosophy professor jeremy a. Jan 14, 2014 the blackwell companion to the problem of evil presents a collection of original essays providing both overview and insight, clarifying and evaluating the philosophical and theological problem of evil in its various contexts and manifestations.
If theres a possible reason for god to allow evil, then the problem of evil doesnt make god logically impossible. Evaluating the skeptical theistic response to the problem. Many atheists would point out that the hopelessness of our universe does not mean that their atheistic answer to suffering and evil is incorrect. Evil is a problem, for the theist, in that a contradiction is involved in the fact of evil on. Lane craig claims open theists, roman catholics, and eastern orthodox. Readings on the theological problem of evil new jersey. Theistic evolution and the problem of natural evil garrett j. The problem of evil the philosophical problem of evil is the challenge of reconciling belief in god with evil in the world. Responses to the problem of evil have occasionally been classified as.
The five responses to the problem of evil credo house. Charles hartshorne is well known in philosophical circles for his rehabilitation of anselms ontological argument. How theistic evolution kicks christianity out of the plausibility structure and robs christians of confidence that the bible is a source of knowledge j. A variety of arguments have been offered in response to the problem of evil, and some of them have been used in both theodicies and defenses. Evaluating the skeptical theistic response to the problem of. Socalled evil in the world is simply the result of natural laws, and the obstacles and challenges these create allow us the opportunity to develop and improve our souls, by finding ways to cope with and overcome such obstacles. Other solutions to the problem include john hicks 1977 soulmaking theodicy. A theistic response to the evidential problem of evil is usually classified as either a theodicy or a defense. Responses to the problem of evil have occasionally been classified as defences or theodicies. May 14, 2012 in order to analyze the skeptical theistic response to the problem of evil, we must first know what the problem of evil claims. If god is great and god is good, then why would he allow evil to exist. Some theodicies also address the evidential problem of evil by attempting to make the existence of an allknowing, allpowerful and allgood or omnibenevolent god consistent with the existence of evil or. Response to the problem theists have articulated defenses, but generally cant advance theodicies complete explanations for evil.
In his book on the free choice of the will, 4 he provided in seminal form what. I have been reading many of the theistic arguments and i am finding many of them interesting and convincing. In his bestselling book when bad things happen to good people, rabbi. The rest of this essay, then, will be an attempt to offer what i take to be the most persuasive rational response to the problem of evil. The terrorist tragedy will help us step beyond yesterdays god, beyond pious delusions. More often than not, the first response to the problem of evil is what i call the free will excuse. In chapter 4, paul draper makes a strong case against classical theism by resorting to a novel version of the evidential argument from evil. A hypothesis is intended to explain the evidence in the best possible way. Any adequate response to the problem of evil must robustly address the collective, cumulative case.
Skeptical theism and the problem of evil michael bergmann preprint. The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with. Pantheism, theism and the problem of evil springerlink. Problem of evil responses introduction to philosophy.
Every newspaper contains many examples of evil and its painful consequences. Our suffering, as well as the suffering of others, vividly marks the presence of evil in our world. The god that rowe is referring to is the traditional god of christian theism. Features all original essays that explore the various forms of the problems of evil, offering theistic responses that attempt to explain evil as. For what is still a good overview of the problem of evil and proposed solutions see h. Logical problem of evil internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Atheism, theism, and the problem of evil the responses followers of theism observe and acknowledge evil, pain, and suffering in this broken world. Mar 01, 20 the problem of evil offers a comprehensive examination of the problem of evil from both technical and ministerial perspectives. May 09, 2016 after weeks of exploring the existence of nature of god, today hank explores one of the biggest problems in theism, and possibly the biggest philosophical question humanity faces. The video above beautifully and simply addresses the problems that arise when atheism attempts to answer the intellectual problem of evil.
Edward martin by ivan derrick cooke cooke 2 introduction in 1968, atheist philosopher h. How should christians approach the problem of evil. The most recent of these books, from the spectrum multiview books series, seeks to address an ageold problem with a bit of modern flaregod and the problem of evil. Namely, that the evidence for the existence of god provides a rebutting defeater for the problem of evil. In philosophy and theology, a theodicy is an argument that provides a highly plausible and perhaps even likelytobetrue explanation for evils existence with the permission of god. God is love incarnate 1, and despite the high amount of choice that he allows, he also is bursting to lavish his love not merely on the perfect, which existed solely in christ, but on the imperfect who could never deserve it by virtue of their imperfection 2. Gratuitous suffering and the problem of evil 9780415662963.
Such an approach is, in my view, by far the most reasonable theistic response to the problem of evil basically to say that apparently pointless evil and suffering constitute some evidence against the existence of an allgood, allpowerful god, but not. The theist understands that evil, pain, and suffering are contrary to the opposite good states the way it should be. Dec 28, 2012 therefore, advocating some form of theistic evolution poses problems for standard explanations of the problem of evil. Problem of evil, problem in theology and the philosophy of religion that arises for any view that affirms the following three propositions. Evans treats the history of the problem with fairness, looking at it through contemporary philosophical literature and offering responses to the most substantive arguments from evil. The present paper aims to evaluate the truth of this claim.
In responding to the argument from evil, then, one. The problem of evil is one of the most discussed topics in the philosophy of religion. This volume fills that need, offering the most up to date collection of recent scholarship on the problem of evil. I would like to lead a religious life, but i am constantly depressed when i see or read about the many instances of violence and injustice taking place around the world. Thomas flint and michael rea oxford university press, 2009, pp. The problem of evil a biblical theodicy gci archive. The author interacts primarily with the logical problem of evil as expounded by j. The theistic god is deada casualty of terrorism 2001 off site by bishop john shelby spong. Thus a rape or a murder of an innocent child is defended as having a gods purpose that a human being may not comprehend, but which may lead to lesser evil or. The theistic component is just theism, the view that there exists an omnipotent, omniscient, wholly good. For some time, however, there has been a need for a collection of readings that adequately represents recent and ongoing writing on the topic.
This response presupposes that humans are indeed free, and it fails to reckon with. What are the most famous responses to the problem of evil. It is to answer the question of why a good god permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil. Skeptical theism defends the problem of evil by asserting that god allows an evil to happen in order to prevent a greater evil or to encourage a response that will lead to a greater good. In either case, the job answer provides a powerful, biblical, answer to the problem of evil. Chapter 10 christian theism and the evidential argument from evil. It cannot explain the evidence from our point of view. Plantingas free will defense has been the most famous theistic response to the logical problem of evil because he did more to clarify the issues surrounding the logical problem than anyone else. The problem of evil features an argument questioning the existence of god in relation to evil, attributing both atheistic and theistic replies. But then the illusion of evil certainly seems to be as evil as evil itself would have been if real.
The theistic concept of god as supremely powerful, intelligent, and good makes the problem very difficult because such a being, it would seem, would make a much better world than this one. We shall see, however, that a number of philosophical theists have. Chapter 12 redemptive suffering as a christian solution to the problem of evil. The cambridge companion to the problem of evil reading. A defence attempts to demonstrate that the occurrence of evil does not contradict gods existence, but it does not propose that rational beings are able to understand why god permits evil. If we know that god exists and is good, then the problem of evil simply cannot be coherent. Apr 20, 2020 a theistic response to the evidential problem of evil is usually classified as either a theodicy or a defense. In a nutshell, the free will excuse basically has two facets. Jun 10, 2009 the rest of this essay, then, will be an attempt to offer what i take to be the most persuasive rational response to the problem of evil. As a response to the problem of evil, a theodicy is distinct from a defence. There are a number of character traits that are valuable only if evil exists. Therefore, advocating some form of theistic evolution poses problems for standard explanations of the problem of evil.
466 895 688 78 196 111 1300 290 809 873 378 647 456 309 1175 709 571 213 870 289 1382 1008 117 1342 1246 1117 440 30 878 23 995 776 233 1163 58