The Problem of Evil - Common Sense Atheism

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Philosophical Failure 55 detailed examination of the available arguments for the non-existence of God—the argument from evil, for example. My hope is that my reflections on the topic of philosophical argument will lead you to the conclusion that it would be a very odd thing if the argument from evil were a success.
Lecture 4 The Global Argument from Evil By the global argument from evil, I understand the following argument (or any argument sufficiently similar to it that the two arguments stand or fall together): We find vast amounts of truly horrendous evil in the world; if there were a God, we should not find vast amounts of horrendous evil in the world; there is, therefore, no God. (The global argument from evil, you will remember, is named by contrast to the many local arguments from evil, arguments that proceed from premises concerning some particular evil. It is my position that the global argument from evil and local arguments from evil are best treated separately.) I will preface my examination of this argument with a defense of the moral propriety of examining it. My preface is by no means shadowboxing. It is quite common for people to say that to examine the argument from evil (in any of its forms), to treat it as if it were just one more philosophical argument, an argument whose virtues and defects could and should be weighed by impartial reason, is a sign of moral insensitivity—or downright wickedness. One might suppose that no argument was exempt from critical examination. One might suppose that if an argument had sufficient force that it would be intellectually dishonest for the opponents of its conclusion to ignore it (a feature that many ascribe to the argument from evil), it would follow that it would be intellectually dishonest for advocates of its conclusion to forbid the opponents of the conclusion to criticize it. But those people to whom I have alluded assert, and with considerable vehemence, that it is extremely insensitive (or extremely wicked) to examine the argument from evil with a critical eye. Here, for example, is a famous passage from John Stuart Mill’s Three Essays on Religion (pp. 186–7): We now pass to the moral attributes of the Deity, so far as indicated in the Creation; or (stating the problem in the broadest manner) to the question, what indications Nature gives of the purposes of its author. This question bears
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THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
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1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX
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Preface These lectures were deliver
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Outline Contents Detailed Contents
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xii Detailed Contents agnostics’
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xiv Detailed Contents he is ‘‘h
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2 The Problem and Argument from Evi
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Page 35 and 36: Lecture 2 The Idea of God I said th
Page 37 and 38: 20 The Idea of God unifying princip
Page 39 and 40: 22 The Idea of God ‘‘God was in
Page 41 and 42: 24 The Idea of God And Demiourgos i
Page 43 and 44: 26 The Idea of God evil. When we fi
Page 45 and 46: 28 The Idea of God —immutable. Th
Page 47 and 48: 30 The Idea of God worlds: those in
Page 49 and 50: 32 The Idea of God (it would certai
Page 51 and 52: 34 The Idea of God Now why do I dra
Page 53 and 54: 36 The Idea of God not a possible p
Page 55 and 56: 38 Philosophical Failure Note the w
Page 57 and 58: 40 Philosophical Failure proved by
Page 59 and 60: 42 Philosophical Failure which prem
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Page 63 and 64: 46 Philosophical Failure realist in
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Page 75 and 76: 58 The Global Argument from Evil I
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Page 113 and 114: 96 The Local Argument from Evil tha
Page 115 and 116: 98 The Local Argument from Evil (3)
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106 The Local Argument from Evil Bu
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108 The Local Argument from Evil In
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110 The Local Argument from Evil If
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112 The Local Argument from Evil ca
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114 The Sufferings of Beasts the ac
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116 The Sufferings of Beasts balls
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118 The Sufferings of Beasts state
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120 The Sufferings of Beasts Let us
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122 The Sufferings of Beasts gift f
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124 The Sufferings of Beasts What I
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126 The Sufferings of Beasts on the
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128 The Sufferings of Beasts a worl
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130 The Sufferings of Beasts told t
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132 The Sufferings of Beasts to ens
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134 The Sufferings of Beasts warned
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136 The Hiddenness of God hiddennes
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138 The Hiddenness of God admiratio
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140 The Hiddenness of God Theist. S
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142 The Hiddenness of God about the
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144 The Hiddenness of God If this w
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146 The Hiddenness of God (2) Patri
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148 The Hiddenness of God in genera
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150 The Hiddenness of God intellect
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Notes LECTURE 1 THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
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154 Notes 14. But here is a defense
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156 Notes to the metaphysical probl
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158 Notes greatest possible being m
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160 Notes matters was said only to
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162 Notes I believe as strongly as
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164 Notes 10. Note that I do not sa
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166 Notes Christianity.) Let us say
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168 Notes LECTURE 6 THE LOCAL ARGUM
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170 Notes of them: all of them but
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172 Notes 20. One might, however, w
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174 Notes 3. Those who think that t
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176 Notes that the first conjunct i
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178 Works Cited Providence and Evil
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180 Works Cited ‘‘What is the P
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182 Index free will (free choice) 2
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REVELATION
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