Chapter 29 The Problem of Evil

The Free Will Defense Evil is that which causes pain, destruction, and other human suffering In order for human beings to be truly free to do good, they must be free to do evil In order to have meaningful freedom, that freedom must be exercised in an: Environment with predictable consequences © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Free Will Defense Why couldn’t God have created a natural order that lacked the capacity to: Inflict such significant harm on human beings? Why human beings and other sentient creatures might not have been created: So as to be impervious to natural onslaughts The nature of true human fulfillment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Cultivation of Moral and Spiritual Character Most theists maintain that there are deeper values than pleasure: And avoidance of pain defining a successful human life Augustine believed that as a result of the inheritance of original sin: © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Cultivation of Moral and Spiritual Character Each human being’s relationship with God was mortally wounded Irenaeus maintained that even an omnipotent God could not directly create: Free beings that already had the degree of moral and spiritual maturity needed to: Enter into true loving relationships © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Cultivation of Moral and Spiritual Character Hick develops and defends the Irenaean response to the problem of evil Hick argues for a view of human life as developmental; The world is the kind of place where adversity can bring about moral fortitude and pain: Can bring about spiritual maturity © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Problem of Inscrutable Evil The Augustinian and Irenaean responses to the problem of evil given thus far do not: Seem capable of handling all cases of evil Worries that God would be eliminating the great gift of free will by intervening: Seem to fall flat © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Problem of Inscrutable Evil While we may have free will, our free will is not absolute; that is, there are: Limitations imposed by the laws of nature on what we can and cannot do There are no goods that would justify God in allowing such evils © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

James Petrik: Inscrutable Evil and an Infinite God James Petrik takes up the problem of inscrutable evil He concedes that there are evils we can see no plausible reason for God to allow: An infinitely wise being would have access to reasons we are not in position to know © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

James Petrik: Inscrutable Evil and an Infinite God Such reasons might be behind God’s allowance of evils, gratuitous to human beings Mann Gulch fire of 1949 Moral Modesty Modal Modesty Avoiding Moral Skepticism © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.