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ALL THEME 2/THEME 3 PHILOSOPHY ESSAY PLANS EDUQAS A LEVEL
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ALL THEME 2/THEME 3 PHILOSOPHY ESSAY PLANS EDUQAS A LEVEL
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The extent to which the classical form of the problem of evil is a problem.Initial
- Some people take an atheist approach to the problem of evil and believe that the
main reason they cannot believe in God is because of the problem of evil
Counter
- The problem of evil is not a problem for non-religious people who do not believe in
God or who believe God is not all good not a problem
Mini conclusion
- The problem of evil is a problem to religious people but not all of society
Initial
- Gregory S. Paul holocaust of the children
- This shows how god is not omnibenevolent
- This god is not worthy of worship
Counter
- However some religious people will argue that we will never be able to understand
innocent suffering as Gods characteristics are incomprehensible
- The story of ‘Job’ in the bible shows an example of a perfectly good person who
suffers – he has no right to question God and has no right to demand answers
Mini conclusion
- The problem of evil doesn’t provide problems as evil, even innocent evil is all part of
God divine plan and humans can never understand Gods nature
Initial
- The problem of evil may not be seen as a problem as it is not a barrier to faith
- Augustine type theodicies and Irenaean type theodicies give purpose to suffering
- God sent his own son down (Jesus) to suffer and shows how God is omnibenevolent
Counter
- It is difficult to tell people who have experienced great suffering that there is a good
reason for it
- Second-order goods do not always come as a result of suffering (suffering with
poverty may make people turn to crime) – second order goods should be able to be
achieved without having to suffer
- Many people do not interpret the genesis stories literally
- There is no scientifical evidence to say that all of humanity descended from a single
pair and that these were the first original beings
- Geological and biological evidence does not support the idea that the world was
perfect before human sin
Mini conclusion
- The challenges to Augustine and Irenaean type theodicies are too strong – the
problem of evil does cause problems
,The degree to which modern problem of evil arguments are effective in proving God's
nonexistence.
Initial
- Mackie’s argument is often seen as effective as it provides a logical answer to the
problem of evil as it presents a logical, deductive argument to the problem of evil
Counter
- However Mackie’s argument has been criticised as they make claims about what
God should do
- Mackie goes off at the assumption that ‘a good thing will always eliminate evil’
however we cannot understand what God is and what God can do
Mini conclusion
- Although the problem of evil may be problematic it cannot disprove gods existence
Initial
- Epicurus argument is still very heavily relevant today as it is simple and there is still
moral evil in the world
Counter
- Irenaean type theodicies explain how we have free will and that we can choose our
own decisions
- Supported by Swinburne who believed that God had many choices on the type of
world he wanted to create and decided to choose one where there were mortal
beings who have an unlimited amount of work to do to make the world perfect.
- This allows the opportunity to exercise genuine freedom
- A limited life span reduces suffering by others and allows for second-order goods to
be developed
- God could have made a world which may be seen to be better for human life, but
these worlds would have had less freedom and less opportunity
Mini conclusion
- Despite the idea of free will there is no reason for intense natural evil occurring such
as earthquakes and therefore prove that God must not exist as a God of classical
theism would not cause suffering without a purpose
Initial
- William Rowe and Gregory S. Pauls arguments are very strong
Counter
- However they do not succeed in proving that God doesn’t exist
- They present inductive arguments that cannot prove anything with certainty
Mini conclusion
- Modern challenges to the problem of evil are ineffective for arguing against God
existence
,Whether Augustinian type theodicies are relevant in the 21st century.
Initial
- Christians will argue that Augustinian type theodicies are relevant in the 21st century
as we are learning more and more about the consequences of human selfishness as
a result of the original sin
- In the modern world the connection between human choice and the way that
natural resources are handled shows how human decisions are corrupted by the
original sin
Counter
- There is no evidence for the original sin
- There is no evidence that the world was perfect before Adam and eve sinned
- Many Christians today do not take the bible literally
- The ideas about angels and devils is no longer heavily relevant in a more secular
society
Mini conclusion
- They are no longer relevant
Initial
- There is evidence of natural evil occurring before human existence – this therefore
cannot be true that evil is due to the fall
Counter
- However many people will see this as irrelevant as they believe that the bible is the
starting point of the word of God and the word of God is eternal
- Augustinian type theodicies follow the bible carefully and shows how sin came into
the world
- This cannot go out of date as God word is eternal
Mini conclusion
- Still heavily relevant for religious people
Initial
- Augustine believed that variety is seen in the world (this can be empirically seen)
- He said that evil is just a lack of goodness
- He believed that variety is part of God creation, being able to provide us with
richness of experience and new things to discover and appreciate every day – we can
experience this and appreciate this in every day life
Counter
- However the extent of evil in the world can not be justified
- Holocaust of the children
- Intense suffering
- Intense suffering for no reason will not allow us and isn’t justified as a way for us to
appreciate new things
Mini conclusion
- No longer relevant in the 21st century
, The extent to which Augustine’s theodicy succeeds as a defence of the God of Classical
Theism.
Initial
- His theodicy can be seen as successful as he kept close to the bible and Christian
doctrine and his argument itself does not directly questions Gods characteristic as
the blame for evil is placed on the fall rather than God
Counter
- It does in fact raise questions on Gods omnipotence and omnibenevolence and
Augustine explains how angels fell away from God and turned to sin and caused
Adam and eve to sin
- Some people may question how God allowed for them to turn away, especially if he
knew what would happen
- Friedrich Schleiermacher explains that the only explanation for the sinning of the
angels is that they were created imperfectly
Mini conclusion
- Augustine’s theodicy fails as the fallen angels show how God is not omnipotent
Initial
- The theodicy fails to defend god due to intense suffering – in particular natural evil
- There doesn’t seem to be a correlation between the fall and natural evil
Counter
- God gave people free will and they decided to ruin it by falling away from God
- God created everything perfectly planned
- According to Christians God undid evil by sacrificing Jesus
Mini conclusion
- This argument does successfully defend the god of classical theism
Initial
- Augustine’s idea of evil as just a ‘lack of goodness’ helps to defend God as evil can be
seen as falling away from God rather than a physical force itself
- This helps to support the idea that God is all loving as he hasn’t physically caused evil
Counter
- However although some evil can be seen as a lack of goodness (such as missing
someone) lost of evil is physical pain
- Aggressive illnesses such as cancers make it difficult to accept that pain cruelty and
sickness do not have a reality of their own
Mini conclusion
- Intense suffering and the physical force of pain counters Augustine’s idea that evil is
not a thing and is just a lack of evil – Augustine’s theodicy is not good at defending
the God of classical theism
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