Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
the problem of evil and suffering - Coggle Diagram
the problem of evil and suffering
background
St Augustine believed that evil didn't actually exist. He believed that evil is a privation of good- anything that doesn't have goodness is evil.
Natural evil refers to evil caused by events outside human control e.g the Boxing Day earthquake.
Moral evil refers to suffering that is caused by events brought about by the free acts of humans e.g the Las Vegas festival shooting.
For religious believers moral evil is easier to explain than natural
Logical problem
the logical problem of evil focuses on the inconsistent triad first put forward by Epicurus which is based on the fact that the God of classical theism is held to be omnibenevolent, omniscient and omnipotent
the problem of evil presents a number of problems:
God knows about evil, wants to stop it but can't so God cannot be omnipotent
God doesn't want to stop the evil in the world so can't be omnibenevolent
God doesnt know about the evil in the world so cannot be omniscient
Mackie called it the problem of logical inconsistency as:
God is omnibenevolent, omniscient and omnipotent but evil exists
only 2 premises can be true otherwise it can be said God doesnt exist. This is a deductive argument
Mackie thinks that an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God could have found a different way to bring about and protect the goods.
Evil is useful for bringing about other goods and is necessary to counterpart good.
Paradox of omnipotence: Mackie argues that omnipotence must be argued as unqualified but then this makes no sense in the paradox so abanonding omnipotence in the triad allows it to solve evil and suffering. Mackie article concludes that the problem of evil cannot be solved. None of the claims are satisfactory
Adequate solutions: avoiding the problem altogether for example changing the definition of God. Other examples include suggesting evil is an illusion
Fallacious solutions: attempt to solve the problem while retaining the traditional idea of God
the evidential problem
it was put forward my William Rowe. He doesnt dispute that some evil may be justified for the sake of greater good. He believes that there is no inconsistent triad. It is possible for God and evil to exist. Row point is that the apparent pointless of intense suffering lowers the probability that a theistic God exists.
One explanation of evil is that God allows it to happen because to prevent it would stop a greater good from happening. For example imagine that in some distant forest lighting strikes and causes a forest fire. in the fire is a fawn that is trapped and burned and lies in agony for days before its death. The fawn is innocent and no lessons can be learnt from the suffering
theodicies
Free will defence:
in Augustines theodicy a key theme is the idea the evil is a result of human free will. It is centred on the idea that for humans to have a meaningful relationship with God love cannot be compelled or earned. We must be free to love God. Moral evil therefore occurs when humans abuse Gods free will.
Augustines theodicy:
Augustine argues that creation has a structure from no-sentient things such as rocks to animals, humans and angels. he argues that a world created from a wide range of beings, highest to lowest is a richer and better universe. evil is a lack of goodness.
Evil was created at the fall of man. both natural and moral evil are the result of free choices from angels and humans. it was introduced by creatures turning away from God. Angels were created as immortal free beings but one of them Satan was envious of God and turned on God. Satan used his free will to corrupt Adam and Eve and the natural order. Therefore moral evil is the voluntary turning away of free beings and natural evil is Satan using his free will to corrupt the natural order.
To restore the balance God sent Jesus to atone from human sins. without this humans could not be saved and all destined to hell. grace is what fills the gap between human moral weakness.
Strengths: For christians Augustines ideas match with the Bible so is the main theodicy of the Catholic Church. Free will also justifies the existance of evil.
Weaknesses:
Augustine interpreates the fall of man as literal whereas Christians see it as a metaphor. Also of angels and humans were created with free will God would not punish them for free choices. it is logically impossible to make a perfect world that went wrong and created evil.
Ireneus theodicy:
God created the world imperfect from the start which allows humans to develop freely. Free will allows humans to develop to be like God. This develops the idea that evil is necessary for good. evil allows us to grow morally and spiritually. Hick develops this idea explaining that the bets good come from free will as we develop virtues. He argues that a perfect world is something we will look forward to in the future. There is a distance in knowledge between humans and God called the epistemic distance. if we knew what God was thinking we would have no choice but always do the right thing.
Strengths:
the importance of free will is the ability to act on it. It allows for soul-making and a god that will not reject anyone into heaven which is in keeping with the omnibenevolent God in Christianity.
Weakness:
Real love would never ne expressed by allowing suffering. Hick himself argued that this much pain and suffering is not needed to bring a perfect humanity.
Process theology:
God is growing and changing as other things grow and change. It redifines God as not fixed and bipolar. Any suffering is done by God. He cannot force people to do his will but influence them. The world contains materials for evil and good. God was right to create the world as although we suffer we also enjoy life. Knowing that complex are able to experience joy in a world of suffering which justifies God.