The Problem Of Evil

Moral Evil

Suffering caused by the deliberate actions, choices, or cruelties of human beings.

Natural Evil

Suffering caused by the natural world, independent of human choice.

The Inconsistent Triad

The logical impossibility of God being omnipotent, omnibenevolent, while evil exists.

Epicurus theory regarding god

The philosopher credited with first formulating the logical problem of evil.

J.L. Mackie

The philosopher who popularized the 'Inconsistent Triad' puzzle.

David Hume's view on God

Argues that without omnipotence and omnibenevolence, the being is not God.

Evidential Problem of Evil

The empirical argument that the sheer extent of needless suffering makes God's existence improbable.

Sigmund Freud on Evil

Argues humans are attracted to evil and a 'death instinct' (macabre).

Theodicy

A philosophical or theological defense of God's goodness despite the existence of evil.

Privatio Boni

The concept that evil is not a substance, but a lack/privation of good.

Vale of soul making

The idea that the world allows humans to develop into God's likeness.

Epistemic distance

A knowledge gap between humans and God that preserves human free will.

Creatio ex nihilo (Augustine)

God created a perfect world out of nothing; therefore, God didn't create evil.

The Fall (Augustine)

The misuse of free will by angels and humans that introduced evil into harmony.

Seminal Presence

The belief that all humans inherit guilt because they were 'present' in Adam.

Macrocosmic Perspective

God's all-encompassing view where individual suffering balances out perfectly in the universe.

Augustine's Painting Metaphor

Shadows (evil) provide necessary contrast to make the bright colors (good) stand out.

Augustine's Musical Metaphor

Moments of discord (evil) are necessary to make the final resolution into harmony beautiful.

Augustine on Hell

Hell contributes to aesthetic perfection because a universe where sin is punished is orderly.

Irenaeus vs. Augustine

Augustine looks back at a ruined creation; Irenaeus looks forward to an unfinished project.

John Hick

The 20th-century philosopher who adapted Irenaean ideas into 'soul-making' theodicy.

Imago Dei (Stage 1)

Humans created as intelligent beings with the capacity for growth, but spiritually immature.

Likeness of God (Stage 2)

The final spiritual perfection humans must freely develop into over time.

Instrumentalism

The view that the world is a tool or 'school' designed for soul-making.

Irenaeus' view of The Fall

A 'childish mistake' made by spiritually immature toddlers, rather than a cosmic rebellion.

Hedonistic Paradise

A world designed purely for pleasure; Irenaeus argued this would be morally useless.

Second-order Virtues

Qualities like courage and compassion that require suffering and challenge to develop.

Eschatological Verification

The idea that the purpose of life and suffering will be clear in the afterlife.

Universalism

The belief that everyone eventually reaches perfection and heaven, rejecting eternal hell.

Soul-Deciding vs. Soul-Making

Augustine focuses on testing for heaven/hell; Irenaeus focuses on spiritual development for all.

Criticism of Universal Salvation

Undermines Jesus' sacrifice, reducing him to a role model rather than a savior.

Leibniz's 'Best of all possible worlds'

If the world falls short of perfection, God may be unworthy of worship or non-existent.

Lens of Morality

Evil is a human experience; animals see events like predation as natural order.

Evil as Privation

A lack of goodness, similar to how blindness is an absence of sight.

Brian Davies criticism of bad

Something is bad if it falls short of our specific expectations for it.

Davies' Deckchair and Grape

A bad deckchair collapses; this standard of 'bad' does not apply to a grape.

Wittgenstein's Language Games

The definition of 'bad' changes depending on context or the 'game' being played.

Non-cognitive language

Language that cannot be true or false and has no universal meaning.