The Problem of Evil Recap/Revision

Intro The problem of evil is one of the controversial areas within the philosophy of religion It is an empirical argument as it is generated through our experiences of the world, not just our reason The problem of evil is the term given to the contradiction between God’s attributes of omniscience, omnipotence and omni-benevolence and the suffering within the world

Within the problem of evil there are 2 distinct types of evil we need to distinguish between:

Natural Evils

Moral Evils

Epicurus and the Problem of Evil The problem is demonstrated by this quote from Epicurus: “God either wishes to take away evils and is unable; or he is able and unwilling; or he is neither willing nor able; or he is both willing and able. If he is willing and unable he is feeble, which is not in accordance with the character of God; if he is able and unwilling, he is envious, which is equally at variance with God; if he is neither willing nor able, he is both envious and feeble, and therefore not God; if he is both willing and able from what source then are evils? Or why does he not remove them?

Responses to the Problem of Evil There are 4 categories: Evil is necessary for good = Augustine’s Theodicy's Evil needs to be seen in a wider context = life after death Evil is a means to a greater good = soul making and the best of all possible worlds Evil is the responsibility of humans = the free will defence

1. Evil Is Necessary For Good Augustine based his ideas on a literal account of the Bible, particularly the Genesis story It rests on 2 key assumptions: Evil did not come from God, since God’s creation was faultless and perfect As evil has come form elsewhere, God is justified in allowing it to stay

Brief Summary of Augustine’s Theodicy God cannot be blamed for creating evil, since evil is not a substance but a deprivation, and it makes no sense to say that God created a deprivation Evil comes from angels and human beings who chose deliberately turn away from God Everyone is guilty because everyone was seminally present in Adam Therefore everyone deserves to be punished Natural evil is a fitting punishment and came about because human action destroyed natural order Therefore God is right not to intervene and put a stop to suffering

Augustine’s Aesthetic Theodicy Augustine uses an analogy saying that it is similar to the use an artist makes of light and dark shades that create harmony and balance in a painting: for as the beauty of the picture is increased by well-managed shadows so, to the eye that has skill to discern it, the universe is beautified even by sinners, though considered by themselves, their deformity is a sad blemish

2. Evil Needs To Be Seen In A Wider Context: Life After Death Another answer to the problem of evil is the idea of the afterlife This theory states that although we may be suffering in this life, if we are good we will be rewarded in the next Evil and pain exist in this world only This world is only a prelude to the afterlife.

Although it does not make evil any less evil Although it does not make evil any less evil. In an absolute sense, evil remains equally wrong with or without an afterlife Nonetheless, such an afterlife would make the world less evil. It guarantees final justice for all individuals. While existing with a finite period of pain (as an innocent sufferer in life) is bad, having existence is far more worthwhile, perhaps infinitely so, if there is infinitely more good than harm (as via everlasting life) So on the whole the world could have infinitely more good than evil, while still allowing humanity as whole to choose its own destiny. So the atheist may be right about evil being a problem for theism; however, the atheist may be also wrong about how big the problem is.

3. Evil is a Means to a Greater Good: Soul Making One of the most important recent contributions to the problem of evil is John Hick’s “soul-making” theodicy God did not create us with ready-made moral character, because for character to be valuable must be developed through experience So God has created us as morally and spiritually immature creatures, evolved from the lower animals And with the human race beginning in this way, it is no wonder that we should go wrong, for we existed from the first in a “fallen” state and a suffering-filled world And such a world as we find ourselves in is, Hick insists, absolutely necessary for the perfection of our souls A pain-free paradise with no difficulties, perils, and hardships would never allow us to learn and to develop, for moral and spiritual growth comes through the facing and overcoming of challenges

3. Evil is a Means to a Greater Good: The Best of All Possible Worlds Gottfried Leibniz asks us to consider the situation of God as one of an all-powerful and good being whose task it is to select from amongst all the possible universes he could create the one he will actually create Given that God knows the whole histories of all the possible universes, and is wholly good, then the one he selected to create must be the very best possible one The pain and suffering in this world are just some of the many essential ingredients which go into the construction of the best possible world. This means that all the evil that exists in this universe must in some way contribute to making it a better place than every other possible universe

4. Evil is the Responsibility of Humans: The Free Will Defence Vardy’s Summary of The Free Will Defence The highest good for humans is a loving relationship with God Love must be freely chosen So God, who is all powerful and loving, gave humans free will (in order to achieve 1) Genuine free will means that humans will sometimes choose good, and sometimes evil 5. Therefore evil exists in order that humans may choose a loving relationship with God

Alvin Plantinga – humans who freely choose good are better than those who have no choice at all. A greater good can come from the evil God permits Augustine – God created a perfect world, evil was introduced by the choices made by humans who were given free will. Free will led to the original sin of Adam and Eve Irenaeus – Free will is necessary if we are going to improve ourselves and the world. Evil is an unfortunate side effect of this free will Swinburne – God does wish not to create a cosy ‘toy world’ for his human ‘pets’ to live in. So it’s a mistake to look at the world and wonder why it isn’t more pleasant for humans. A much greater good than pleasure is the relationship humans can have with God, and this can only be a genuine relationship if we have free will.