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H173/H573 Year 1 Philosophy > Problem of Evil > Flashcards

Flashcards in Problem of Evil Deck (47)
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1
Q

What is a theodicy?

A

A justification of God in the face of evil and suffering

2
Q

Name two theodicies

A

Augustine’s and Hick’s Irenaean theodicies

3
Q

How does Augustine’s theodicy begin?

A

God created the world perfectly

4
Q

What is evil, according to Augustine?

A

Evil is a privation or an absence of good

5
Q

What is a privation?

A

A lack of an essential characteristic or property

6
Q

What is Augustine’s example of privation?

A

Blindness is a privation / absence of sight

7
Q

What three key terms make up the Inconsistent Triad?

A

Omnipotence, omni-benevolence and evil exists

8
Q

Name two types of evil

A

Natural evil and moral evil

9
Q

Give an example of moral evil

A

Murder, stealing, terrorist attacks, telling lies

10
Q

Give an example of natural evil

A

Hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, disease

11
Q

Who/what does Augustine blame for natural evil?

A

The Fall of angels causing disharmony in the natural world

12
Q

Who/what does Augustine blame for natural evil?

A

The Fall of mankind - Adam and Eve

13
Q

What did the first sin, committed by Adam and Eve, cause all humans to inherit?

A

Original sin

14
Q

Why is God justified in punishing all humans?

A

Because all humans were seminally present in Adam and share in the original sin

15
Q

How does Augustine describe all evil and suffering?

A

Either sin or punishment for sin

16
Q

For Augustine, why does God send Jesus?

A

To rescue people from sin and to take their punishment on himself

17
Q

How do scholars’ describe Augustine’s theodicy?

A

Soul-deciding

18
Q

What is Scleiermacher’s logical argument against Augustine?

A

How could a prefect world go wrong?

19
Q

How did Schleiermacher accuse Augustine of making a moral error?

A

Why did God create Hell? Did he know humans would choose evil?

20
Q

How does Schleiermacher accuse Augustine of making a scientific error?

A

Biological error - all humans cannot have been seminally present in Adam

21
Q

How does B. Davies support Augustine?

A

Evil is not properly a substance but ?a gap between what there is and what there ought to be?

22
Q

How is free will used to support the Augustinian theodicy?

A

Genuine free will requires the possibility to choose evil

23
Q

How does Ireneaus suggest God created the world?

A

With evil and suffering; not perfectly

24
Q

How does Ireneaus suggest humans were created?

A

In the image of God but after his likeness (need to develop into the likeness of God)

25
Q

How do humans develop into the likeness of God?

A

By experiencing suffering, making good choices and developing character and virtues

26
Q

Give examples of virtues

A

compassion, charity, kindness

27
Q

Why did Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, according to Ireneaus?

A

They were immature, like children, and made a mistake

28
Q

How is Jesus seen by Ireneaus?

A

As sent by God as part of the learning process and also suffered

29
Q

What does Hick call the Irenaean Theodicy?

A

Soul-making

30
Q

How does Hick describe our world?

A

As a vale of soul-making

31
Q

Why does Hick describe our world as soul-making?

A

Because it seems purpose built to teach us and develop virtues / character

32
Q

What reasons does Hick give for God not making humans perfect?

A

They would be like robots and would not be free to choose to do good or to love

33
Q

What is epistemic distance?

A

God’s existence is not obvious to humans in order to allow free will.

34
Q

What is Peter Vardy’s example to support the idea humans need to be free to choose to love?

A

The King and the peasant girl

35
Q

Where does Hick argue everyone will end up?

A

In heaven, with God

36
Q

What key term describes Hick’s idea that all will go to heaven?

A

Universal salvation

37
Q

What is Mackie’s criticism of the Ireneaen Theodicy?

A

Could not our world be a little more hospitable and still teach us what we need to know?

38
Q

How does Swinburne counter Mackie’s argument?

A

By saying this would be a ‘toy world where things matter, but not very much’

39
Q

Why does Dostoyevsky challenge the Ireneaen Theodicy?

A

The suffering of innocents cannot be justified and God must be malevolent to allow it

40
Q

What does Ivan Karamzov decide to do at the end of Dostoyevsky’s novel?

A

To return his ticket to heaven

41
Q

How does DZ Phillips argue against the Ireneaen Theodicy?

A

True love would not use evil as a means to an end

42
Q

How does Swinburne suggest that God limits suffering?

A

By allowing death to be part of the world, suffering is not infinite

43
Q

What argument can be used against Hick’s universal salvation?

A

That it seems unjust to allow both Mother Thereas and Hitler into heaven

44
Q

For Hick, why do we need natural laws?

A

It is part of the predictable universe

45
Q

Explain the Inconsistent Triad

A

God cannot be omnipotent (or he would be able to prevent/stop evil) or God cannot be all loving (is unwilling to prevent evil) or evil does not exist

46
Q

What is the logical problem of evil?

A

That evil continues to exist even though God has the attributes of omnipotence, omnibenevolence and omniscience

47
Q

What is the evidential problem of evil?

A

That the extent of suffering is too great for there to be a God (or the classical theist idea of God)