Evil is a difficult subject. We know that evil exists, we see it every day. But since there is evil, how can there be a God? This dilemma has hundreds of explanations, many of which build upon each other. Even so, it is unsatisfactory and still debated. I will be explaining the Logical Problem of Evil and the Evidentiary Problem of Evil and then provide different explanations and theodicies, arguments for why God might allow evil, on evil. I will end the section on evil by explaining my opinion on the different explanations. Then I will give a summary of “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. From this book we learn about five types of morality relating to society. After explaining these points I will discuss Martin Luther King Jr. and …show more content…
This is the argument philosophers give in the Soul-Making Theodicy. If we didn’t have battles, than we wouldn’t experience courage. If we didn’t have poverty, we wouldn’t know about generosity. If there wasn’t unkindness we wouldn’t know kindness. One of the greatest human achievements is our ability to overcome difficulties. This very fact is the basis of the stories we tell in movies and books. If the protagonist did not have an antagonist to overcome the story would not make any impact on the reader. We know a good person because we have a bad person to compare them to. This idea of evil can even explain natural evil. People don’t only overcome evils other people cause. When a tornado destroys a town people come from all over the United States to help rebuild. When an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, relief came from multiple countries. Without evil there wouldn’t be a need to bring relief or generosity, or kindness, but we would not be challenged to be the best person we would be either. In his article “Why did God Let this Happen?” James Boice presented multiple examples of evil. One of these examples was the sudden loss of fortune or position. A person has a high position and makes a great salary when out of the blue they are fired or let go. It seems unfair. A second example Boice gave was death of a loved one. How unfair and evil it is for your sister or brother, mother or father, to suffer from cancer, or be involved in a terrible accident. In order to explain these evils, Boice gives four
“The Problem of Evil” by Peter van Inwagen, is a series of lectures that that presents van Inwagen’s various responses to problem of evil. In this essay, I will present “the local problem of evil” (from chapter 6 of the book), the solution van Inwagen proposes for this problem, and my critique of his solution. “The local problem of evil,” according to van Inwagen, is the hypothetical response an atheist would have towards van Inwagen’s solution of “the global problem of evil” which is, “If god existed, then why is there so much evil in the world?” The argument of “the local problem of evil” is “If god existed then why are there specific horrors that occur in the world, like children dying in a horrific car crash?” The argument that is drawn
“The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.” (Phillip Zombardo) William Golding, the author of a well known book, “Lord of the Flies”, beliefs what Phillip Zombardo said about good and evil. According to the book he wrote, he thinks that humans can very easily cross the line between good and evil.
For years, many have questioned G-d’s role when it comes to addressing the problem of evil. Why is it that bad things always happen to the best of people? Oftentimes, we find ourselves wondering how an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good divinity could allow for such atrocities to occur, such as the Holocaust and the enslavement of millions. G-d’s role and existence surrounding the problem of evil is most often debated by philosophers and theologians alike such as English philosopher, John Hick. Hick introduces a consoling outlook to why such atrocities exist, framing G-d’s role and reasoning for evil's existence as a way for us to learn, grow, and better our souls.
The roots of evil are either logical or evidential problem of evil. For example, the first logical argument is that evil is a necessity in our world. Hank explains the the purpose of evil in a sense that “good can’t exist without its opposite….. You can’t understand the concept of pleasure without experiencing pain first” (Crash Course #13). Hank’s first argument hints that God is aware of the evil and powerful enough to prevent it but chooses not too.
The logical argument concerning the problem of evil stems from two propositions that seem difficult to hold true at the same time: there exists an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent God and there are great amounts of suffering and evil in the world. This argument concludes that since there is moral and natural evil in the world, that an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God cannot exist since an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God would not create evil, or would at least seek to destroy it. To argue against this, the free-will defense is used. The free-will defense is successful as it provides a reason for moral evil, but it fails to address natural evil. However, it is still logically consistent to believe in
In this paper, I will begin by stating the Problem of Evil. Following this I will include two objections to the argument and why I find the argument to not be convincing. The Problem of Evil is an argument concerning the existence of God and why God cannot exist because of the presence of evil in the world. The argument begins by saying that God is both all-powerful and wholly good, and that evil exists in the world. However, these statements contradict each other, so all three cannot be true.
Finally, I argue Swinburne’s solution to the Problem of Evil is persuasive. First, I begin with Swinburne’s views on the kinds of evils. According to him, there are two kinds of evil: moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil refers to all evil caused deliberately by humans doing what they ought not to do and also the evil constituted by such deliberate actions or negligent failure
IV. The Problem of Evil So far, we have examined only arguments for the existence of God. But for each argument, we have also discussed some objections. Some theists may accept all these objections and yet maintain a belief in the existence of God.
“The Problem of Evil” is simply the question, why does God allow evil to happen? God is omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving, and rational, therefore why does evil exist? There is either no God or he is not what we think he is, since evil could be prevented by him with no risk. Atheists and anti-theodicist see a problem with the idea that God could prevent evil. They believe that because God is so powerful and perfect, that he would not allow such immoral actions to be done.
The question of evil and God 's role in it, or at least the role we believe he should play, has spanned long over time. An ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus pondered the subject during his lifetime: "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
In this reading reflection I will be discussing Richard Swinburne’s argument on “Why God Allows Evil” which starts on page 254 in “Exploring Philosophy: An Anthology” by Steven M. Cahn. This was also discussed in class on 9/15/16. In his argument Swinburne states that “An omnipotent God could have prevented this evil, and surely a perfectly good and omnipotent God would have done so. So why is there evil?”(Swinburne, 254).
Argument Because of imperfections in the world and humanity, evil exists. God created humanity to be imperfect; Therefore, God and evil co-exist. Hick’s theodicy states that in order for humanity to improve on their soul and growth, we need pain and suffering to aid us in this process. He suggests that evil and God can co-exist since
The article I chose for the synopsis tries to explain how evil, if any, goes against what we believe of in the existence of God. It is not too hard to argue that evil sometimes comes close to proving there is no all-powerful, all-knowing and all-good God. If there was such a God, why would evil exist? I asked my self that question before and I am sure I am not the only one to ask that. An all-good God would not allow evil to exist right?
Evil is a simple word that we learn at a young age and that we understand is bad. However, our youth and innocence prevents us from knowing the weight the word holds. As our understanding of evil develops, we begin to see evil all around us. Although we hold common societal definitions of evil, each person is bound to view evil slightly different from others. Someone might consider alcoholism evil, while others consider it normal: someone might believe racism is evil, while others believe it is natural.
Humans are complex creatures. Understanding human nature is difficult, but the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding helps to show what true human nature looks like. Humans are inherently evil, but that evil is hidden by societal dictates. Throughout the novel, the human societal mask is stripped away and true human nature can be seen. Society enforces rules and trends that people feel they must follow.