PoE

Question 1

Moral evil

Answer 1

harm or suffering that free agents are responsible for

Question 2

Natural evil

Answer 2

harm or suffering that free agents are not responsible and are caused by natural events or processes

Question 3

Logical problem of evil in standard form

Answer 3

P1: If God exists then God is omnibenevolent and so would be opposed to evil and would eliminate evil as far as it could.

P2: If God exists, then God is omnipotent and so would be able to eliminate evil

P3: If God exists then God is omniscient and so would know that evil exists and/or that it is about to come into existence.

C1: Therefore, if God exists then evil would not exist

P4: But evil exists.

C2: Therefore, God does not exist.

Question 4

Evidential problem of evil in standard from

Answer 4

P1: If an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent God exists, then any evil that exists must exist for a morally good reason.

P2: We do not know of any morally good reason that would justify the existence of certain evil events that exist

P3: If we do not know of any morally good reason for many evil events, then there probably isn’t a morally good reason for at least some of these events.

C1: Therefore, for at least some evil events, there probably isn’t a morally good reason that would justify them.

C2: Therefore, God probably doesn’t exist.

Question 5

Difference between evidential and logical problem of evil

Answer 5

evidential: non-deductive, is intended to prove God’s existence is unlikely

logical: deductive, is intended to prove God’s existence is impossible

Question 6

Defence

Answer 6

Only intended as a logically possible explanation as to why God permits evil

Question 7

Theodicy

Answer 7

Intended to be a plausible or reasonable explanation as to why God permits evil

Question 8

Plantinga’s free will defence

Answer 8

P1: Evil is the result of the free will of human beings.

P2: God creates creatures with free will because free will is so morally valuable that it is worth giving no matter how much evil it might lead to.

C1: Therefore, God has done the morally right thing in giving us free will, and we are to blame for the existence of evil.

C2: This is how God can be omnibenevolent even though evil exists

Question 9

Hick’s soul making theodicy

Answer 9

P1: The existence of evil helps creatures to improve themselves morally/spiritually

P2: God creates evil because this chance for moral development is so morally valuable that it is worth the existence of the evil that enables it.

C1: Thus God has done the morally right thing in creating evil.

C2:This is how God can be omnibenevolent even though evil exists.