1. The Problem of Evil

2. Fill in the Blanks: The Problem of Evil
A famous version of the problem of evil was put forward by the philosopher Epicurus. He asks three questions:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able to? Then he is not omnipotent
If God able to prevent evil, but not willing to?
Then he is malevolent (evil)
Is God able to prevent evil and willing to?
Then why is there evil?

3. Natural evil Pain resulting from disease
Peter Vardy in The Puzzle of Ethics (1999) lays out the different areas which could be described as natural evil:
Pain resulting from disease
Suffering caused by natural disasters
Animal suffering
Pain resulting from apparently poor design of the human body (.e.g. pain in childbirth, old age
Psychological illness

4. What is the problem? Hollywood’s view: the evidential problem of evil
Good Morning Vietnam

5. An all good, all powerful God would not permit suffering
Expressed as a syllogism(A syllogism (Greek: συλλογισμός syllogismos, "conclusion, inference") is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true:
Suffering exists
An all good, all powerful God would not permit suffering
Therefore, an all good, all powerful God cannot exist
(Proposed by David Hume - Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion)
A syllogism (Greek: συλλογισμός syllogismos, "conclusion, inference") is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true.

6. Ways out of the problem for theists?
Theodicies – defences of God
Augustinian Theodicy
Irenaean Theodicy
Both justify the existence of evil by a good and powerful God.

7. NB: there is no ‘problem’ of evil for atheists
“The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored.’ ― Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life
(1995)

8. No ‘problem of evil’ for atheists
In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.” Richard Dawkins
What is your reaction to this quote? Do you agree with Dawkins? Why or why not? Does his view imply there is no basis for justice?

9. Stephen Fry’s view
Stephen Fry's interview with Gay Byrne

10. An alternative Fry - up Could you have done better than Gay Byrne
Stephen Fry?
Now is your chance!
Using the source material provided, plus other research of your own, your group will produce a dialogue between ‘Stephen Fry’ and ‘Gay Byrne’ . We want the interviewer to be challenging Stephen Fry though! Be prepared for questions from the audience!

11. Who am I? Re-Cap! It’s me! David Hume!
I believe God is NOT all-loving – He/She won’t help us.
I believe God is NOT all-powerful She/He can’t help us
I think only two of three points can exist at the same time (all- loving, powerful and knowing)
The Judeo-Christian idea of God does not exist
It’s me! David Hume!

12. The Augustinian Theodicy
So, you have seen some possible explanations to the problem of evil, but both Hume and Aquinas make it difficult to accept the Judeo-Christian concept of God. What other responses are there that try to solve the problem of evil?
Three key theodicies…
The Augustinian Theodicy
The Irenaean Theodicy
Process Theodicy
What is a theodicy?
A theodicy = justification of God.
Each theodicy tries to explain how the existence of God and the existence of evil is compatible.

13. The Augustinian Theodicy
Also known as the free will defence

14. Evil is the PRIVATION of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. Augustine said that evil came not from God, whom is all- good, but from those entities which had free will– angels and humans who turned their backs on God, the supreme good, and settled for lesser goods. As a consequence, the state of perfection was ruined by human SIN and the delicate balance of the world was destroyed.
When humans choose to disobey God, they create an “absence of good” within themselves.

15. Explaining Privatio Boni
Brian Davies argues that evil is not a substance but “a gap between what there is and what there ought to be.”
Something made by God has an intended nature/purpose. As long as it lives up to its purpose it remains perfect. It can have no evil because it is living up to God’s purpose.
Privation – an absence or lack of something
However, over time things can stop fulfilling their purpose fully. Incompleteness enters and so imperfection does to. The incompleteness takes the object away from God’s purpose. This is evil. It exists only as an absence of Good (privatio Boni)

16. 10 minutes!
Research Task
Number 1’s: You will be completing the ‘fact’ finding part of the worksheet Number 2’s: You will be looking at the reasons behind Augustine’s theory Number 3’s: You will begin the evaluation of Augustinian Theodicy
You now need to join together in groups of three, 1 from each research area, and share your information so that your sheet is complete.

17. TASK Create a diagram to represent the Theodicy of Augustine
It can have images and words

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Augustine, theodicy, free will, natural evil, soul, heaven, Jesus, fallen, sin