11 THE PROBLEM OF EVIL THE LOGICAL PROBLEM

-11 THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

THE LOGICAL PROBLEM OF EVIL • The logical problem of evil aims to demonstrate that there is a logical inconsistency between the existence of God and the existence of evil. In other words, the propositions 1) God exists, and 2) There is evil in the world cannot be coherently held together. Because the existence of evil contradicts with the existence of God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent. Given that there is evil in the world, then either God does not exit or He lacks at least one of these omni-properties.

THE EVIDENTIAL PROBLEM OF EVIL • The evidential problem of evil is meant to show that the existence of evil makes the existence of God unlikely (in a probabilistic manner). That is, even if the existence of evil is not logically inconsistent with the existence of God, it makes such a theistic belief rather implausible. • The defenders of the evidential problem of evil (such as W. Rowe) argue that if God (who is omnipotent, omniscient, wholly good) exits, he could have prevented the instances of intense or pointless suffering/ evil without «losing some greater good» .

THEODICIES • Two approaches have come to the fore to answer the problem of evil. • Some argue that there is no dilemma in the manner claimed, by denying the substantial existence of evil. • Some other argue that the existence of evil can be made compatible with existence of God, by arguing that God might have good reasons for allowing evil in the world. Such theistic attempts are known as «theodicies» .

THE ESSENTIALITY OF GOODNESS • This kind of theodicies try to solve the problem of evil by denying the substantial existence of evil. • St. Augustine: Evil does not have an independent reality, it appears in the absence of what is essentially good. • Ibn Sina: Existence is goodness, while non-existence is evil. God is pure being and pure good. Since God is eternal, goodness is also eternal. Evil is a kind of deprivation to do it with the potentiality in matter. Evil is present in matter as a deficiency. Al-Ghazali and Leibniz: THE OPTIMISTIC THEODICIES • This world is the best of the possible worlds. • There is evil in the world, but it does not count against Divine goodness.

THE SOUL-MAKING THEODICY St. Irenaeus and John Hick: • God created human beings with an epistemic distance to give them the possibility of developing a moral character freely. Without such a distance between God and human beings, they would not have a geniune freedom. • The world contains evil because it is needed for the «soul-making» of human beings. They can thus struggle with various difficulties (various instances of evil) and thus achieve an intellectual and development. Otherwise, there would not have been an epistemically and morally dynamic world.

FREE-WILL DEFENSE Free Will Defense has been put forward by A. Plantinga in defence of theism. Briefly stated, -A world which contains creatures with free-will (with respect to their moral choices) is more valuable than a world which contains no free creatures. -It is not within God’s power to create free creatures and cause them to do only what is right or prevent them from doing what is morally wrong (evil). -The source of evil is considered to be the creatures who exercise their freedom sometimes in the wrong way. -But, such a moral evil does not count against God or his goodness. -Objection: Could not God have created a world which contains free creatues who always do what is morally right? -Yes, but can they really be morally free in such a world?