problem of evil

what are the two types of evil?

1. moral evil
   morally wrong actions by humans which are deliberate
   → holocaust, rape, murder

2. natural evil
   suffering that is caused to sentient beings by the natural world and out of our control
   → tsunamis, earthquakes, illness

what two things make up the logical problem?

1. epicurean theory

2. inconsistent triad

explain the epicurean paradox 

EPICUREAN PARADOX
developed by greek philosopher epicurus

if god is willing but not able, he isn’t omnipotent
if he is able but not willing, he’s not omnibenevolent
if he is able and willing, where does evil come from?
if he isn’t able or willing, why call him god?`

his qualities are inconsistent

he created the universe from nothing, so is omnipotent, so he could’ve made a world free from suffering

explain the inconsistent triad

by Mackie

inspired by Epicurus

god is all loving, god is omnipotent and there is evil in the world

those 3 statements can’t all be true, and we know evil exists

one or both is logically impossible

what does aquinas say about the logical problem?

god is described as infinite goodness, but if evil exists even slightly, its a contradiction

(aquinas later rejects this pov)

name 3 strengths of the logical problem of evil

1. it is a contradiction to say anyone who allowed suffering to happen when they had the power to stop it is a good person let alone ‘infinite goodness’

2. if god was omnibenevolent he would care for his creation rather than allowing it to suffer so strongly 

3. why would he have allowed humans free will if he knew they’d abuse it so badly
   it would be equally as cruel to force us to be sinless robots  

name 4 limitations of the logical problem of evil

1. we can’t understand god because human perspective is limited. god sees the full picture and allows evil accordingly. we don’t know the evils he has made smaller (e.g. the holocaust could’ve been 60 million people, which has been made 6 million. which even though is awful, has been lessened by god. or maybe the nazis could have won the war.)

2. good can’t exist without evil. we wouldn’t know what it is otherwise and so would’ve appreciate the goodness in the world. evil is just the privation of good in the world

3. john hick and soul making

4. free will and genesis

who came up with the evidential problem of evil?

rowe

what is the evidential problem of evil?

god is improbable not impossible

evil is evidence against god but not proof

the amount of pointless suffering of sentient beings makes god unlikely 

examples:

1. a fawn trapped in a forest fire for days before eventually dying

2. 5 year old girl raped and killed

if suffering and evil resulted in some greater good, it could be justified. but the horrific suffering of the girl and fawn wasn’t necessary 

conclusion: 

intense suffering in world which an omnipotent, omniscient being could have been prevented 

omniscient, omnibenevolent being would prevent suffering unless it couldn’t without preventing a greater good

therefore, it is unlikely an omnipotent, omniscient and all good being exists

name 3 strengths of the evidential problem of evil

1. huge amounts of suffering in the world with no obvious purpose. hume- why can’t god have created a world where humans learn through pleasure rather than pain?

2. if god was omnibenevolent, he would care for his creation and protect it from suffering

3. why would god have allowed humans free will if he knew they’d abuse it so badly?

name 4 limitations of the evidential problem of evil

1. logical problem is stronger. it highlights why it is impossible for god to exist with those characteristics. evidential just suggests why it is improbable rather than why it is impossible

2. good cannot exist without evil- we wouldn’t know what it is otherwise

3. soul making- virtues like courage, sympathy and kindness come from suffering

4. free will - link to genesis 

explain the fall and its relationship to evil

free will

god created humans with freedom and free will

adam and eve were only given one negative command:

do not eat from the tree of knowledge

satan (in the form of the snake) tempts eve to eat from the tree

they felt ashamed afterwards and hid from god

god punishes them by:

1. kicking them out of the garden

2. death

3. man will have to work to survive

4. childbirth will be difficult

sin is introduced into the world from this

what is the augustian theodicy

evil can’t have come from god as his creation is perfect

since it didn’t come from him, he’s justified in keeping it

evil isn’t a substance itself, it is the privation of good

fallen angels and and adam and eve brought sin into the world when they turned away from god

this sin caused an imbalance in the world. natural evil is a punishment from sin

god will make this up in heaven by allowing good people to heaven and bad people to hell

what does theodicy mean?

in defence of god

what does augustine compare god and evil to in the theodicy?

blindness

blindness isn’t a thing itself, just a privation of sight

name 4 strengths of the augustian theodicy

1. hick- although humans freely choose good, if god had designed them with free will but they always chose god, they would not be truly free. their choices would be predetermined otherwise
   
   

2. people must turn to god out of their own free will or the concept of faith is meaningless. free will is so valuable that it justifies evil
   
   

3. supports idea of judgement day: when good people go to heaven and bad people will go to hell (parable of sheep and goats). god’s world will be perfect in the end
   
   

4. hick and soulmaking 

name 3 limitations of the augustian theodicy

1. contradiction in believing in a perfect creation that can go wrong. if the world was perfect then it shouldn’t have gone wrong. evil cannot create itself out of perfection
   
   

2. if god is omniscient and knew evil would result, it may have been better to not create the world at all (or limited omniscience, maybe he can’t see future?)
   
   

3. original sin seems unfair. being punished for adam and eve’s sin is unethical and unjust. in some christian traditions they believe babies go to hell if not baptised, however, catholic church rejects this

what is soulmaking?

hick
god did not make a perfect world; evil has a valuable part to play in god’s plan for humans

humans are created imperfect with the potential to grow and develop into perfection

humans are made in god’s image with the potential to develop his likeliness

free will means we can choose between good and evil- logically impossible or humans to have free will but only choose god

if god had created perfect humans we would be like robots who love god without question- this love would be valueless

god had to create humans at a distance from himself so they have the choice to choose

god could have created a perfect world but he didn’t to help us morally and spiritually mature

we can develop virtues that help meet perfection- called soul making

god is partially responsible for evil but it is necessary for a world to involve challenges

eventually, everyone will be perfected and go to heaven even if they don’t seem that way when they die- soul making continues after death

name 4 strengths of soulmaking with hick

1. swinburne- it is necessary for god to allow suffering to help us mature. if god constantly intervened he would be like an ‘overprotective parent’. as a result, we wouldn’t be able to develop our souls
   
   

2. some qualities such as courage do come from suffering. for example, courage could be formed due to having to fight in the war
   
   

3. it provides a rational explanation for why an omnipotent, omniscient and all loving god permits both natural and moral evil
   
   

4. evolution- humans are still evolving so they aren’t created perfectly.
   
   

5. evidential problem- god is improbable however his existence can be defended if evil results in a greater good

name 3 limitations of soulmaking

1. does not always result in human development. some things only produce misery, like the holocaust. severe suffering may be too strong to be worth the good that comes out of it
   antisemitism is more looked down on after the holocaust, but is that worth 6 million lives

2. why so severe? why not 4 million jews instead of 6 million jews? why (in rowe’s argument) is it several days for the fawn?
   → we don’t know the original extent it could have been and god minimised it to

3. it doesn’t always result in soul making. challenges in the world often cause more harm than good. for example, people who go to war often come back with PTSD and are miserable with severe stress afterwards. may not bring goodness and only more suffering
   → however, they can still develop virtues like courage

what 2 philosophical ideas suggest god is responsible for evil?

logical problem

evidential problem

what 2 philosophical ideas suggest god is not responsible for evil?

augustian theodicy

soul making