the philosophical problem of evil.ppt

8/9/2019 The Philosophical Problem of Evil.ppt

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The Philosophical

Problem of Evil• The only effective argument against the existence of

a maximally perfect God is rooted in the existenceof evil.

• The existence of evil is thought by some to: – Be logically inconsistent with the existence of a

maximally perfect God. (The ogical !roblem of

"vil# – $onstitute conclusive evidence against theexistence of a maximally perfect God. (The"vidential !roblem of "vil#


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• The reason some believe these two claimscannot both be true in the same reality issuccinctly stated by %t. Thomas '+uinas: – ,-t seems that God does not exist

because if one of two contraries be infinite/

the other would be altogether destroyed.But/ the word &God means that 0e isinfinite goodness. -f/ therefore/ Godexisted/ there would be no evildiscoverable/ but there is evil in the world.Therefore/ God does not exist.1

Summa Theologica / -/ 2/ iii (ob). 3#


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Rebutting the Logical Problem of Evil

• 0ow to show that the two claims are notlogically inconsistent: – %how there is a possible reality in which

both claims are true. – This reality need not be actual/ nor even

plausible. – The reality need only be possible and be

one in which both &' maximally perfectGod exists and &"vil exists are bothtrue.


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• !lantagina

– ' possible reality in which &'maximally perfect God exists and &"vilexists are both true.

– 'll the evil that exits in !lantaginaresults from the free/ but immoral/choices of moral creatures.

– "vils such as murders/ thefts/ andrapes result from the free/ but immoral/choices of creatures li4e you and me.


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– "vils such as sic4ness/ earth+ua4es/and hurricanes result from the free/ butimmoral/ choices of fallen angels(demons#.

– God cannot force any of the freecreatures in !lantagina to choose good.• ' ,forced/ free choice1 is a logical

impossibility/ )ust li4e a ,s+uare

circle.1 Thus/ God s ,inability1 tobring either about is not a blowagainst 0is omnipotence.


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– -n !lantagina/ all the evil produced by thefree/ but immoral/ choices of moralcreatures is outweighed by the goodness ofthe creatures ability to ma4e free andmoral choices.

• The moral creatures in !lantagina cannotma4e free and moral choices unless theycan also ma4e free/ but immoral/choices.

– !lantagina is a possible reality and/ in it/ &'maximally perfect God exists and &"vilexists are both true.


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– Thus/ these two claims are NOT

logically inconsistent.• 7hat is the upshot of all this8 – The ogical !roblem of "vil is easily

rebutted because it overreaches. – -t tries/ as it were/ to hit a grand slam

against theism.

– 's a result it can be struc4 out by astory as facile as !lantagina.


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Evidential Problem of Evil

• Given the amount and type of evil thatexists in the actual world/ it is highlyunli4ely (and/ therefore/ irrational tobelieve# that a maximally perfect Godexists.

• The existence of evil counts asconclusive evidence against theexistence of a maximally perfect God.


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Responses to the Evidential Problem

of Evil• 9irect Theodicy – ' plausible explanation for all the evil

that actually exists. – "vil is the !rivation of Goodness• 't root/ goodness and being are the

same.• To lac4 goodness is/ to some

degree/ to lac4 being.


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• To be evil is NOT to BE as one

ought.• or example/ a hammer without ahead is a bad hammer because it

lac4s (suffers from a privation# ofwhat it should have.• 'll created beings/ by the very

fact they are created/ lac4 somedegree goodness and/ therefore/being.


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• ,'ll things that exist/ therefore/

seeing that the $reator of themall is supremely good/ arethemselves good. But/ because

they are not/ li4e their $reator/supremely and unchangeablygood/ their good may bediminished and increased.1%t. 'ugustine of 0ippo/ Enchiridion


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• ,;%t. 'ugustine< did hold broadly to the!latonic idea that the world isnecessarily a mixture/ as it were/ ofbeing and non6being: -t is becoming.

'nd/ one of the hallmar4s of ;the world<

. . . is its multiplicity and change/ ;i.e


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• ,*oral evil/ or sin/ li4ewise may betraced to an absence of goodness. -tresults when something goes wrongwith the will when it brea4s downwhen it falls short when it fails to will

the good when it is derailed and turnsaside from the the good when it iscorrupted. 's disease is the absenceof health in the body/ so sin is theabsence of health in the will.1*iller and =ensen/ Questions that Matter / pp.

2>?6>>


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• rom the very fact that creatures arecreatures/ they are limited in both beingand goodness.

• -n other words/ by their very natures/creatures are incomplete.

• The fulfillment and completion of creatureslie outside themselves• %t. 'ugustine/ li4e all theists/ maintained

that the fulfillment and completion of

creatures lie in God. – ,5ur hearts/ 5 ord/ are restless until

they rest in Thee.1 ( The Confessions)


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• Given their limitations in 4nowledge/creatures may see4 fulfillment andcompletion in something other than theirtrue fulfillment and completion – God.

• Ta4e as an extreme example %atan.

– -n $hristian theology/ %atan startedout as the archangel ucifer.

– But/ instead of see4ing his fulfillment

and completion in serving God/%atan chose to see4 his fulfillmentand completion in attaining power.


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– -n the words that =ohn *ilton puton the lips of %atan in ParadiseLost / ,Better to reign in 0ell thanserve in 0eaven.1

– 9espite what %atan might havethought (or thin4s#/ says %t.

'ugustine/ he cannot findfulfillment and completion by ruling

in 0ell. – 0e could only find fulfillment and

completion by serving in 0eaven.


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– ,-t is not %atan s bare existence whichis evil/ but the bareness of hisexistence . . . . -nstead of fulfilling thebeing God had given him/ he/ in asense/ vacated that being/ emptied it ofall of its once scintillating possibilities.There is an enormous emptinessresiding at the very core of %atan sbeing/ a huge and tragic lac4 of what6could6have6been/ of what should6have6been. 0e is evil/ not for what he is/ butfor what he is not.1

!rofessor 9. @. *c-nerny


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– -n $hristian theology/ it is thistragic lac4 of what should6have6been at the core of %atan thatcauses him to inflict suffering onothers.

– 's with %atan/ so with all otherwho inflict suffering on others.

– 7hat is the upshot of all this8

• 's a 9irect Theodicy/ ,"vil as a!rivation of Good1 is reasonable/ butnot conclusive.


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• %ince it is reasonable/ however/despite the existence of evil in theactual world/ it is not irrational tobelieve in a maximally perfect God.

• -ndirect Theodicy (The G. ". *oore%hift# – G. ". *oore was a 3A th $entury

British !hilosopher whose wor4 with"thics has inspired a response to the"vidential !roblem of "vil.


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– 0ow it wor4s.•

Gratuitous Evil: "vil that is not thelogically unavoidable side effects ofgreater goods.

• Both theists and atheists agree thatthis material implication is true: – If gratuitous evil exists, then a

maximall !erfect "od does not

exist#• 'theists maintain that it s more

reasonable to argue this way.


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– -f gratuitous evil exists/ then amaximally perfect God does not exist.Gratuitous evil exists. Therefore/ a

maximally perfect God does not exist.• Theists maintain its more reasonable to

argue this way: – -f gratuitous evil exists/ then a

maximally perfect God does not exist. ' maximally perfect God does exist.Therefore/ gratuitous evil does notexist.


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• Both of these arguments are valid/ butonly one can be sound.

• 'theists say it s more reasonable tobelieve in the existence of gratuitous evilthan it is to believe in the existence of a

maximally perfect God.• Theists say/ given all the evidence (for

example/ the theistic proofs we veloo4ed at# it s more reasonable tobelieve in the existence of a maximallyperfect God than to believe in theexistence of gratuitous evil.


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• Both the atheistic and theistic viewsseem reasonable.

• -t/ therefore/ in the end/ becomes amatter of faith.

• This leads us to the "xistential!roblem of "vil.

the philosophical problem of evil.ppt

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