PROBLEM OF EVIL
Definitions
WHY IS THERE EVIL
IN THE WORLD?
EPICURUS 341 BC – 270
BC
INCONSISTENT TRIAD
INCONSISTENT TRIAD
God is God is
ABLE but WILLING
NOT but NOT
WILLING ABLE to
to prevent
prevent evil: GOD
evil: GOD IS NOT
IS NOT ALL
GOOD POWERFU
L
GOD OR EVIL
DOES NOT
EXIST
THEODICY
From the Greek
θεός : theos: God
δίκαιος : dikaios:
justification
Attempts to reconcile
omnipotent and
omnibenevolent God
with existence of evil
TYPES OF EVIL
MORAL EVIL NATURAL EVIL
Evil consequences
Human beings choosing
produced by the
freely to act to produce
workings of the natural
evil consequences
world
PROBLEM OF EVIL
AUGUSTINE’S THEODICY
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE
ST. AUGUSTINE 354-
430
Either God cannot
abolish evil, or He will
not; if He cannot then
He is not all powerful;
if He will not then He
is not all good
Confessions
THEODICY OF AUGUSTIN
E Evil is not a
Evil is a privation
substance
Evil is not a thing or
Evil is a lack of a quality
power in itself which
that a thing should have
challenges God’s
[i.e. goodness]
omnipotence
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE
How Evil comes from God
God causes everything that exists
God creates humans
Humans are created Humans created with
good free will
Evil is lack of goodness
All humans possess Human choices produce
goodness evil
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE
Origins of Moral Evil
EVE & SERPENT: ADAM & EVE:
GARDEN OF EDEN:
Eve uses free will to Adam uses free will
Creation is good
eat fruit and know to eat fruit and
and harmonious
good and evil know good and evil
ORIGINAL SIN:
THE FALL: EXPULSION FROM
All humans
Humanity chooses EDEN:
seminally present in
disharmony with Original harmony
Adam & share his
God cannot be restored
sin
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE
Origins of Moral Evil
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE
IMPORTANCE OF FREE
WILL
God created,
Allowing evil is permits and
an acceptable sustains evil
cost for No free will
human free would remove
will choices for
good
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE
AESTHETIC PRINCIPLE
Contrast between what
is good and what lacks
goodness heightens the
beauty of goodness
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE
HIERARCHY OF BEINGS NATURAL EVIL
Devils [fallen angels]
freely choose
disharmony with God
Devils’ actions produce
disharmony [evil] in
nature
THEODICY OF AUGUSTINE:
SUMMARY
The presence of evil is a result of
perfect beings’ freely willed choices
to disobey God
The perfect world no longer exists
but in heaven
Jesus Christ may redeem humans’
original sin
Evil is a punishment for sin as hell
will be
SCIENTIFIC CRITICISMS OF
AUGUSTINIAN THEODICY
Earth &
humans
not
created in
Genesis perfect Human
story is not state race not
literal and seminally
angels do present in
not exist Adam
SCIENCE
CRITICISMS OF
AUGUSTINIAN THEODICY
Perfect beings
cannot become
evil
Beings not
God created evil
created perfect
Beings knew evil
before Fall [or
God responsible
how could they
for evil
choose
disobedience?]
FREE WILL DEFENCE OF
AUGUSTINIAN THEODICY
World of free creatures is
more valuable than one
without
God cannot cause free
creatures to do only what
is right [as this would not
be freedom]
Moral evil does not
logically contradict God’s
omnipotence or goodness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jARkbwgejgU
swinburne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j1ZCqKEKtE
