The Blackwell Companion to The Problem of Evil

Cover......Page 1
Title page......Page 5
Copyright page......Page 6
Contents......Page 9
Notes on Contributors......Page 11
Preface......Page 13
Acknowledgments......Page 16
Part I: Problems of Evil......Page 17
Introduction......Page 19
Another Footnote to Plato......Page 20
“Epicurus’ Old Questions” and Ancient Skepticism......Page 22
Augustine and the Manichean Problem of Evil......Page 24
The Argument from Evil in Aquinas’s Summa......Page 25
Calvin, Descartes, and the Early-Modern Obsession with Evil......Page 27
Bayle and the Insolubility of the Problem of Evil......Page 28
The First Logical and Evidential Arguments from Evil......Page 30
Acknowledgments......Page 32
References......Page 33
Mackie’s Logical Problem of Evil......Page 35
Plantinga’s Free Will Defense......Page 37
Assessing Plantinga’s Free Will Defense......Page 39
Interworld Plenitude and Intraworld Plenitude......Page 41
Two Objections......Page 43
References......Page 48
3: A New Logical Problem of Evil......Page 50
Three Commitments of Theism......Page 51
Developing the Proof: The Modeling Approach......Page 52
Developing the Proof: The Motives Approach......Page 59
Some Final Objections......Page 61
Conclusion......Page 62
References......Page 63
4: Rowe’s Evidential Arguments from Evil......Page 65
Two Cases......Page 66
Rowe’s Arguments......Page 67
Initial Comments on Rowe’s Arguments......Page 69
Framework and Assessment......Page 70
A Central Issue......Page 73
A Further Consideration......Page 77
Further Reading......Page 79
References......Page 81
What is a Humean argument from evil?......Page 83
Definitions......Page 85
Simplicity......Page 86
Predictive power......Page 87
Theistic responses......Page 90
The structure of the argument......Page 91
Premise 3......Page 92
Premise 2......Page 93
Premise 1......Page 96
References......Page 98
(Welcome Back, Skeptical Theism)1......Page 99
Tooley’s First Argument......Page 101
Non-Carnapian version of Tooley’s second argument......Page 102
Carnap’s inductive logic......Page 103
Tooley’s use of Carnap’s theory......Page 105
Problems Facing Tooley’s Second Argument......Page 108
Problems Facing Tooley’s First Argument......Page 109
References......Page 113
7: The Experience of Evil and Support for Atheism......Page 114
Richard Swinburne’s Principle of Credulity......Page 116
William Alston’s Doxastic Practice Approach......Page 118
Alvin Plantinga’s Proper Functionalism......Page 120
Acceptance and Provisional Acceptance......Page 122
Noetic Reconstruction......Page 123
Value-Attitude Reformation......Page 124
Superior epistemic vantage point......Page 125
References......Page 127
8: The Problem of Animal Pain and Suffering......Page 129
Neo-Cartesian Defenses......Page 130
Why the Neo-Cartesian Defenses Fail......Page 133
Nomic Regularity and the Progression from Chaos to Order......Page 137
Concluding Remarks......Page 141
References......Page 142
Introduction......Page 144
The Problem Stated......Page 145
Diminished capacities......Page 146
Religious practice......Page 147
The Vagueness Objection......Page 148
The Proportionality Objection......Page 150
Annihilationism......Page 151
The Choice Model......Page 153
Universalist Strategies......Page 154
References......Page 158
10: The Problem of Apparently Morally Abhorrent Divine Commands......Page 160
Richard Swinburne and the Canaanites......Page 164
Eleonore Stump and the Amalekites......Page 166
Inscrutable Reasons? Unknown Goods?......Page 170
References......Page 174
Entrenched Practices and Attitudes......Page 176
Realism......Page 177
Horrendous Evils......Page 178
Ad Hominem Argument, Asserted......Page 181
Nontheistic Alternatives......Page 182
Russell’s stoicism......Page 183
Nagel’s irony......Page 184
Personality, How Fundamental?......Page 186
God Because of Evils?......Page 188
References......Page 189
Part II: Theodicies......Page 191
12: A Brief History of Theodicy......Page 193
Irenaeus (circa 130–202) and Soul-Making......Page 194
St. Augustine (354–430), Privatio Boni, and Free Will......Page 195
Leibniz (1646–1716) and the Best of All Possible Worlds......Page 197
Joseph Butler (1692–1752) and the Imperfect Comprehension of God’s Government......Page 198
George W.F. Hegel (1770–1831) and the Cunning of Reason......Page 199
C.S. Lewis (1898–1963), Free Will, and God’s Megaphone......Page 200
A.C. Ewing (1899–1973) and the Principle of Organic Unities......Page 201
Alvin Plantinga (b.1937), Free Will Defense, and “O Felix Culpa” Theodicy......Page 203
Richard Swinburne (b. 1934) and the Goods that Outweigh Evil......Page 204
References......Page 206
13: Counterpart and Appreciation Theodicies......Page 208
Necessary Conditions for a Successful Theodicy......Page 209
The Counterpart Theodicy......Page 211
The Appreciation Theodicy......Page 215
Acknowledgments......Page 219
14: Free Will and Soul-Making Theodicies......Page 221
Hick’s Theodicy......Page 222
Hick on Free Will......Page 223
Hick on Soul-Making......Page 225
Swinburne on Free Will......Page 227
Swinburne on Soul-Making......Page 229
The Challenges of Free Will......Page 231
The Challenges of Soul-Making......Page 234
Conclusion......Page 235
References......Page 237
Introduction......Page 238
The CBT Explained......Page 239
The eternal value of connections......Page 240
Several clarifications......Page 241
Hell objection......Page 242
Alternative routes objection and opportunity cost objection......Page 243
Lack of awareness objection......Page 245
Extreme evils and the victimage objection......Page 246
Undercuts moral action objection......Page 247
Love, relationships, and interdependence......Page 248
Hiddenness of god/spiritual darkness......Page 249
Conclusion......Page 250
References......Page 251
Three Puzzles and Their Independence......Page 252
Motivating the Puzzles for Theists......Page 253
The Hypothesis of a Best Possible World: The Letter and the Spirit......Page 256
The Multiverse......Page 258
The Multiverse and the Second and Third Inconsistent Triads1......Page 259
The Multiverse and the First Inconsistent Triad......Page 262
References......Page 265
Introduction......Page 267
Three Theories of Providence......Page 268
Theodicies, Defenses, and Theories of Providence......Page 274
A Patently Partisan Epilogue......Page 279
References......Page 280
18: A Christian Theodicy......Page 282
The Character of Religious Experience......Page 284
Suffering as Religious Experience......Page 285
The Value of Relationships......Page 287
Divine Passibility......Page 289
The objection from cruelty......Page 291
The objection from lunacy......Page 292
The objection from ineffectiveness......Page 293
Conclusion......Page 294
References......Page 295
19: Toward an Indian Theodicy......Page 297
The Psychology of Karma......Page 299
Nyāya School of Logic and Theism......Page 301
The Vedānta Theodicy......Page 304
Conclusion......Page 309
References......Page 310
Introduction......Page 312
The Best Life Depending on Harmony with God......Page 313
Submission to God as the Necessary Condition for a Good Human Life (The Meaning of Islam)......Page 314
Human Epistemic Privilege and the Need to Be Trained......Page 315
God’s Epistemic Aid......Page 318
The Epistemic Fruits of the Earthly Testing Ground......Page 320
References......Page 324
21: On Constructing a Jewish Theodicy......Page 325
Retribution......Page 328
Atonement, Trial, Sufferings of Love......Page 330
Soul-Making Theodicy......Page 332
Antitheodicy: The “Halakhic” or Existentialist Response......Page 334
The objection from arrogance......Page 335
The objection from futility......Page 336
The objection from moral complacency......Page 338
Summary......Page 339
References......Page 340
Defining Feminism......Page 342
Women and Evil......Page 344
Gendering the Subject......Page 347
Structural Nature of Evil......Page 349
Challenging the “Purpose” of Evil......Page 351
Evil in Relationships......Page 352
Evil and the Concept of God......Page 353
References......Page 354
23: Process Theism and Theodicies for Problems of Evil......Page 356
Traditional Theodicy......Page 357
Process Theodicy......Page 360
References......Page 364
24: Theodicy in a Vale of Tears......Page 365
Classifying Theodicies......Page 366
Stump’s Theodicy......Page 368
Reply to Stump......Page 369
Stump: Further Reflections......Page 372
Nothing But the Best......Page 373
The Objection from Divine Simplicity......Page 375
The Plenum Objection......Page 376
References......Page 378
25: Antitheodicy......Page 379
The Morality of Theodicy......Page 380
Gratuitous evil......Page 381
Treating persons as ends......Page 386
Nonmoral Objections to Theodicy......Page 388
References......Page 391
Part III: Skeptical Responses......Page 393
Introduction: Contemporary Skeptical Responses Contextualized......Page 395
Skeptical Theism and the Book of Job......Page 397
Medieval Commentaries on Job......Page 400
Skeptical Theism and Apophatic Theology......Page 402
Cartesian Skepticism......Page 405
Argument from privation......Page 406
Aesthetic argument......Page 407
Conclusion......Page 408
References......Page 409
27: Peter van Inwagen’s Defense......Page 412
Van Inwagen and Skeptical Theism......Page 414
Pointless Evils and Practical Sorites Problems......Page 417
Objections to van Inwagen’s Defense......Page 420
Applications: Universalism and the Fall......Page 423
References......Page 425
Skepticism about Free Will......Page 427
The Free Will Theodicy......Page 428
The Retributive Punishment Theodicy......Page 431
Agnosticism (or Skeptical Theism)......Page 432
Defense Hypotheses the Free Will Skeptic Can Accept and which are Compatible with Morality......Page 436
References......Page 439
Introduction......Page 442
Skeptical Theism......Page 445
CORNEA......Page 447
Objections to CORNEA: Closure and Induction......Page 450
Skeptical Theism and Common-Sense Epistemology......Page 455
Conclusion......Page 458
References......Page 459
The Evidential Argument from Evil......Page 460
Skeptical Theism......Page 461
Skeptical Theism and Radical Skepticism......Page 462
Skeptical Theism and Moral Obligation......Page 464
Skeptical Theism and God’s Commands......Page 467
Problem 1: identifying God’s commands......Page 468
Problem 2: selective obedience......Page 469
Problem 3: lack of specific guidance......Page 470
Acknowledgments......Page 471
31: The Global Skepticism Objection to Skeptical Theism......Page 474
Skeptical Theism and Knowledge of God......Page 475
Skeptical Theism and Knowledge in General......Page 477
References......Page 482
The Evidential Argument from Evil......Page 484
Problems for Beliefs about Sin and Morality......Page 485
Problems for the Theology of Divine Goodness......Page 489
Problems for Natural Theology......Page 493
Problems for Belief in Miracles......Page 495
Conclusion......Page 496
References......Page 497
33: Skeptical Theism and the “Too Much Skepticism” Objection......Page 498
What Is Skeptical Theism?......Page 500
The Too-Much-Skepticism Objection......Page 502
Global Skepticism......Page 503
Skepticism About Value......Page 509
Skepticism About (Other) Knowledge of God......Page 516
Moral Paralysis......Page 518
References......Page 521
Index......Page 523