Providence and the problem of evil richard swinburne. Which brings us to talking about swinburne s free will theodicy. First, i begin with swinburne s views on the kinds of evils. In his recent book, the existence of god, richard swinburne argues that the world as we find it is one that a good and omnipotent god would have good reason to bring about. The most weighty of the arguments against gods existence is the problem of evil. In book viii, chapter vii, of the confessions, augustine describes. He argues that moral evil is the result of human being having a free will.
Part 3 shows how the possibility of moral evil, and the actual occurrence of natural evil providing knowledge of possible good and bad actions, and the scope for good response are necessary to secure these ends. Swinburne uses to freewill defense and says that god gave us a choice between doing good and doing evil. Providence and the problem of evil oxford scholarship. Part 2 of this book describes the good goals that god might be seeking to produce in his universebeauty. Providence and the problem of evil in providence and the problem of evil, richard swinburne attempts to rebut the common charge that the world we see around us filled with pain and evil is inconsistent with the existence of the christian god. Swinburne on natural evil religious studies cambridge core. Using three fictional charactersdemea, cleanthes and philowho are debating the problem the evil, hume indeed seeks to show that one cannot demonstrate that god is all good and all powerful using human experience and human. Is free will a satisfactory explanation for the existence of evil in a world created by god. The book is great for those interested in exploring the range of approaches to the problem of evil. Swinburnes recently published solution to the problem of evil involves in effect an. Unless he has very strong reason for supposing that there is a god, a theist needs a theodicy or at least needs. He has attempted to reassert classical christian bel. Swinburne s aim is to respond to the problem of evil by constructing a theodicy, an explanation of why god would allow. Chapter 2 is then concerned with the question of how an incompatibility argument from evil is best formulated, and with possible responses to such arguments.
Richard granville swinburne fba born 1934 is an english philosopher. Eleonore stump is giving a revised thomistic answer to the problem of suffering. He does not claim to demonstrate, that is, deductively to prove, that the world is godmade but rather to show that the proposition that god exists and made. The philosophical problem of evil is the challenge of reconciling belief in god with evil in the world. Unless he has very strong reason for supposing that there is a god, a theist needs a theodicy or at least needs to begin to develop one in order justifiably to believe that there is a god. He has presented this in many works, but above all and systematically in his book providence and the problem of evil. The defenses do not succeed against the criticisms and do not solve the problem of evil so that the traditional nature of the supreme being is preserved and seen as consistent with the existence of moral evil because they in one form or another rely upon the altering of the idea of the supreme being by either reducing or denying one of its characteristics that is responsible for the problem in. In chapter ten of his book dialogues concerning natural religion, david hume discusses the problem of evil. Swinburne builds his own solution to the problem of evil on 7. But it is better to have free beings and the possibility that they will do wrong and ca. The moral premise in the argument from evil against the existence of such a god states that.
Moral evil includes all evil caused delibaerataly by human beings doing what they ought not to do. The paper then develops a different strategy for dealing with the problem. Swinburne has been an active author throughout his career, producing a major book every two to three years. This theodicy tries to defend gods omnibenevolence in the face of evil by stating that there is natural evil and moral evil. Scm press, 2004 deserves a response from the among those of his contemporaries whose work in this area he so severely criticised.
Richard swinburne offers a defense against this problem in his work providence and the problem of evil. The problem of evil often takes the below form, which is the form that stump lays out. Moral evil and free will swinburne s strategy is to consider what he calls moral evil and natural evil separately. Oct 31, 2009 this chapter is completely misnamed, because swinburne doesnt seem to find evil any kind of problem at all. Richard swinburne has developed a theodicy which he considers to be a satisfactory response to the atheistic objection to the existence of god. Problem of evil responses introduction to philosophy. The problem of evil queensborough community college. Swinburne uses the same or a similar line of thinking. Richard swinburne offers a sophisticated, promising solution to the problem of evil. Gods existence philosophers have looked for ways to explain gods existence for centuries. If someone chooses to do good over evil, then that good is greater. Pdf the paper critically examines swinburnes theodicy from the. Richard swinburne, providence and the problem of evil oxford.
Through richard swinburne s theodicy theodicy an attempt to defend gods omnibenevolence in the face of evil, one comes to find the case that initially escapes the evidential and logical problems in the logical problem of evil, it is made aware that three things must be true in the contemporary version layout for evil to exist. Finally, i argue swinburne s solution to the problem of evil is persuasive. Swinburne argues that god wants humans to learn and to love, to make the choices which make great differences for good and evil to each other, to form our characters in the. One such argment that the believer must justify in order to maintain the possibility of gods existence is the problem of evil. He lumped together as the theodicists a variety of contemporaries covering a range of views richard swinburne, stephen davis, alvin. Swinburne offers some really creative arguments here. It is philosophically sophisticated, but not too difficult for the average person with a cursory awareness of the history of philosophy to navigate perhaps with a good dictionary of philosophy or encyclopedia nearby. Of all the atheistic arguments, this is the one that has been around for longest, that has had the most words written about it, and that draws the most diverse responses from christians. Review of richard swinburnes providence and the problem of evil. Nenp is logically necessary as a justificatory grid in a god made. It bares the question whether god is a perfect because of all wrong taking place in the world. His account includes beauty, actions, thoughts and feelings as various goods. Pdf richard swinburnes theodicy and problem of genocides. Problem of evil, problem in theology and the philosophy of religion that arises for any view that.
The problem of evil in richard swinburnes natural evil. Swinburne proposes a thought experiment to illustrate the free and responsible choice we have. Nov 12, 2011 the problem of evil is considered by many to be the greatest challenge to theism. Swinburne s providence and the problem of evil 459 his theodicy. Swinburnes aim is to respond to the problem of evil by constructing a theodicy, an explanation of why god would allow. Swinburne on natural evil volume 19 issue 1 david oconnor. I meant to speak of the suffering of mankind generally.
Apr 06, 2015 the problem of evil is considered by many to be the greatest challenge to theism. The problem of evil stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Problem of evil, by richard swinburne, the author attempts to explain how evil can exist in a world created by an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent being, namely god. I shall present his theodicy, that is, his response to the. Bradley argues that the problem of evil can also be generalised to the cosmological argument because it too posits god as cause of the universe and thus also of the evil in 34 the world. God is, by definition, omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly good. Response to a statistical study of the effect of petitionary prayer.
In knowledge, freedom and the problem of evil, stump responds to the account the philosopher richard swinburne gives of natural evil within his overall free will theodicy. He has played an important role in recent debate over the mindbody problem, defending a substance dualism that recalls the work of rene descartes in important respects see the evolution of the soul, 1997. The moral premise in the argument from evil against the existence of such. In this way, swinburne thinks he has shown that god is justified in allowing hi roshima, belsen, the lisbon earthquake, or the black death p. In his essay, the problem of evil, by richard swinburne, the author attempts to explain how evil can exist in a world created. This book is the final volume in richard swinburnes tetralogy on philo.
His books are primarily very technical works of academic philosophy, but he has written. The problem of evil eleonore stump this paper considers briefly the approach to the problem of evil by alvin plantinga, richard swinburne, and john hick and argues that none of these approaches is entirely satisfactory. Theology and the problem of evil signposts in theology. Next, i consider the potentiality objection to this argument, and swinburne s response to this objection. The maximum amount of good that god can give us requires the existence of some evil.
This response presupposes that humans are indeed free, and it fails to reckon with natural. The way in which i propose, as the best way of responding to the problem of evil, is essentially the same as that which is presented by brian davies in his book the reality of god and the problem of evil london. Swinburne argues that god wants us to learn and to love, to make our choices about good and evil for ourselves and others on our own, to form our characters in the way we choose, and, above all, to be of great use to each other. The evidential problem of evil determines the degree of how much evil must be a part of the evidence of gods existence. Parents rightly allow a dentist to cause pain to their children for the greater good of healthy adult teeth. Swinburne s goal is to specify, for every single evil in the.
The problem of evil a student revision booklet is available. He lumped together as the theodicists a variety of contemporaries covering a range of views richard swinburne, stephen davis, alvin plantinga, marilyn adams, robert adams, and myself. Richard swinburne boston collaborative encyclopedia of. Little is needed if the majority of group members are operating with the beliefs without questioning of them. Richard swinburnes theodicy published on 01 jan 2011 by brill. I then formulate the connection between evil and free will. Fighting for your country is certainly a grave responsibility. The strengths and weaknesses of these responses to the problem of evil. What swinburne says here is surely very reasonable, and i c. The acceptability of swinburne s solution for a number of reasons, it seems to me that swinburne s solution to the problem of evil is not acceptable. Your institution does not have access to this book on jstor.
Swinburne first develops an account of goods within creation. While on the other hand the logical problem of evil is seen through our own eyes. Philosophers who have used the problem of evil as an. Richard swinburne gives a careful, clear examination of this problem, and offers an answer. The problem of evil by fyodor dostoevsky beggars come in, they wear silken rags and tattered lace and beg for alms dancing gracefully, then one might like looking at them.
Ive read on the problem of evil quite a bit, and usually you will find the same argument just repackaged. We now need to consider a number of objections to this proposal. This book will constitute a major source for the present study. His first line of argument is that some evils can serve greater good. Chapter 1 addresses some preliminary issues that it is important to think about in formulating arguments from evil. Augustine sets forth a philosophical and theologioal solution for the problem of evil that properly merits the admiration of all men, even though they might not agree wi th it. God has a limited right to bring about evil for a good purpose. Phillipss book, the problem of evil and the problem of god london. God could have given human beings free choice, and ensured that. Yet my favorite example and not just because it references heroin is found in the conclusion of his why god allows evil argument. Phillips, the problem of evil and the problem of god and then in consultation with the editorin. The problem of evil poses a philosophical threat to the design argument because it. Providence and the problem of evil edition 1 by richard.
Swinburne, providence and the problem of evil core. Aug 27, 1998 this book offers an answer to one of the most difficult problems of religious belief. Review of richard swinburnes providence and the problem. Providence and the problem of evil by richard swinburne. This book offers an answer to one of the most difficult problems of religious belief. Paul draper florida international university like swinburne s other books, providence and the problem of evil is clearly written and meticulously argued. Swinburne makes 35 arguments in this book that are quite simply novel.
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