The Problem of Evil

 

The Problem of Evil: Crash Course Philosophy #13

Introduction

The problem of evil is the philosophical question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.  

The above video from Crash Course Philosophy gives an introduction to the problem of evil.  The following are some other videos that introduce the problem of evil:

• Philosophy Vibe - The problem of evil (and the existence of God) 
• https://youtu.be/FfjrJH9PNPA?si=VCrEqsmZq7v40kyG
• This video presents the following defences or theodicies:
• The Augustinian Theodicy
• Irenaean (Soul Making) Theodicy
• The Free Will Defence Argument

Theodicies

The following videos present different defences or theodicies:

• Alex O'Connor - Free Will (defence), Souls, and the Problem of Evil | Richard Swinburne
• https://youtu.be/8Y3PtkyhOiU?si=0EhzNayO5dQckq3L
• Philosophy Vibe - Free Will Defence - Does it Solve the Problem of Evil?
• https://youtu.be/bIoN-CTwjAU?si=K0QeQyQA-zPepBEJ
• Philosophy Vibe - Leibniz - Best of all Possible Worlds Argument (Explained and Debated) 
• https://youtu.be/K8PNhJZrDlY?si=demit9KdbC6Vxylf
• Untangle Philosophy - John Hick & the Soul-Making Theodicy
• https://youtu.be/FUDmovWczng?si=5LsIo-O3oOm4Ze4g
• Untangle Philosophy - Augustine’s Theodicy | Free Will, Fallen Angels & Original Sin 
• https://youtu.be/fQZ9soVdcq0?si=OGOEhU_Ip0swOSzC
  

The arguments

The following videos present the arguments relating to the problem of evil.

• Wireless Philosophy - Philosophy: the problem of evil part 1
• https://youtu.be/V4z9Y2u30Qs?si=O2VQrqAN0Eku6MEb
• Wireless Philosophy - Philosophy: the problem of evil part 2
• https://youtu.be/prWSGbDW3LU?si=qDCNY1qOS3RIf0yM
• Wireless Philosophy - Philosophy: the problem of evil part 3
• https://youtu.be/L67dlpMgDa4?si=AT7tqTNULYwcy52U
  

Further readings

1. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Logical Problem of Evil - https://iep.utm.edu/evil-log/
2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - The Problem of Evil - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/evil/
3. Wikipedia - The problem of evil - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil
4. Wikipedia - Theodicy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodicy

Some Questions

1. Free Will is one of the explanations for the problem of evil.  Is evil necessary for the existence of free will?  Can't one choose between different good options?  
2. Christians believe there is no evil or suffering in heaven.  Since God allows people to have Free Will, Free Will must be good.  If Free Will is good, people would have Free Will in heaven.  Since it is possible to have Free Will in heaven where there is no evil and suffering, then evil and suffering and Free Will can co-exist.  Does that mean Free Will is not a good defence for the problem of evil?
3. One explanation of the existence of evil and suffering on earth is that Adam and Eve disobeyed God and therefore God allows evil and suffering to exist on earth.  If the reason for evil and suffering is because God wishes to punish humans, then why are there so much evil and suffering?  The punishment does not seem to be proportional to the misdemeanour.
4. One explanation of the existence of evil and suffering on earth is that they are caused by Satan, a fallen angel.  However, since God is omnipotent, why does God allow Satan to exist?
5. A defence of the existence of evil and suffering is that humans are not able to understand God's reasons for allowing evil to exist.  It appears that God had created a universe with natural laws and God does not interfere with the day to day running of the world.  If that is the belief, is it still reasonable to believe in an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God who is in control of all things on earth?

Was it a miracle or was it cheating?

 

"Passage of the Jews through the Red Sea" by Ivan Aivazovsky  (1817–1900)

The Parting of the Red Sea in the Old Testament is considered a miracle by Christians.

It tells of the escape of the Israelites, led by Moses, from the pursuing Egyptians, as recounted in the Book of Exodus.  Moses holds out his staff and God parts the waters of the Yam Suph, which is traditionally presumed to be the Red Sea. With the water dispersed, the Israelites were able to walk on dry ground and cross the sea, followed by the Egyptian army. Once the Israelites have safely crossed, Moses drops his staff, closing the sea, and drowning the pursuing Egyptians.

Even in times of war, opposing sides abide by certain conventions.  For example, nowadays, warring countries generally do not use biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. 

If we interpret the Biblical story literally and consider it to be true, the Parting of the Red Sea as recorded in the Old Testament did not follow the rules of physics.  The laws of physics should apply to everyone.  The Israelites would have broken the rules of physics when they crossed the Red Sea.  The drowned Egyptians were entitled to cry foul, if their voice could be heard.  From an independent viewpoint the Israelites had cheated.  

Parents should be fair

When parents set rules for their children, the rules should apply equally to all the children.  If the parents allow one of their children to break the rules, the parents would be acting unfairly and the child who broke the rules would be cheating.

For Christianity, God created the laws of physics.  These laws should apply to everyone.  If God allows these rules to be broken for the benefit of some people, God would be acting unfairly and the people who benefited from the miracle would be cheating.  

Other miracles

The following are some examples of alternative views of Biblical miracles:

Jesus feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish could be considered unfair from the viewpoint of villagers who sell fish and bread.  Had it not been for the interference of Jesus, the 5000 people would have to buy fish and bread from the villagers.

Jesus calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee when his disciples feared they would die could be considered to be rewarding bad seamanship.

Jesus turning water into wine is not fair to the winemakers. 

The falling of the walls of Jericho was really quite unfair to the Jerichoans at the time.  According to the Bible:

Following God's law, the Israelites killed every man and woman, the young and the old, as well as the oxen, sheep, and donkeys. Only Rahab (who would be considered a traitor to the Jerichoans), her parents, brothers and all "those who belonged to her" were spared. They were incorporated into Israel. Joshua then cursed anybody who rebuilt the foundations and gates, with the deaths of their firstborn and youngest child respectively. This was eventually fulfilled by Hiel the Bethelite under King Ahab's reign.

Learning from nature

We teach children not to cheat at school. They should abide by the rules of the school even when they are not doing well.  Instead of cheating, they should learn from their failures.

Shouldn’t believers apply that principle to their lives too?

Shouldn’t religious leaders ask their followers to try to understand and work within the rules of nature, and not to pray for miracles, even when they are not doing well?

Shouldn’t believers try to understand the rules of nature, particularly when they are not doing well, so they could learn from their failures?