God is defined as an essentially everlasting, omnip. Swinburnes problem of evil essay considering the prevalence of natural disasters such earthquakes and hurricanes that beleaguer humankind across the world, swinburne is categorical that they are just but bad consequences of moral evil. Nov 17, 2011 those interested in the problem of evil would do well to read providence and the problem of evil. On first appearance, richard swinburnes the existence of god offers a highly structured, coherent, and rigorous argument for gods existence grounded in bayes theorem, inductive reasoning, confirmation theory, the intrinsic probability of simple hypotheses, substance dualism, and moral realism. It is to answer the question of why a good god permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil. In his essay cahn parallels swinburnes situation of the. Some theodicies also address the evidential problem of evil by attempting to make the existence of an allknowing, allpowerful and allgood or omnibenevolent god consistent with the existence of evil or. God cannot do what is logically impossible for him to do. His philosophical contributions are primarily in the philosophy of religion and philosophy of science. Moreover, the role and solution that he gives to the problem of evil depends.
A natural answer is that god must be a person who, at the very least, is very. Swinburne presents us with an explanation of evil that focuses not just on our free will, but on the importance of mutual responsibility as a prerequisite of free will. One such argment that the believer must justify in order to maintain the possibility of. Review of swinburnes hell and hicks universalism for god and that all will come to realize this and act on it after death if not before. This chapter is completely misnamed, because swinburne doesnt seem to find evil any kind of problem at all. Pdf at what price plantinga and swinburne on the problem of. In providence and the problem of evil, richard swinburne, one of this century s best christian apologists, finally gives us a fulllength treatment of evil. A solution for these difficulties is suggested but not elaborated. Not presupposing the existence of god, but claiming that if there is a god, it is to be expected that he would do certain things. Swinburne makes 35 arguments in this book that are quite simply novel. Credit will be given for relevant knowledge of any theodicy, but candidates are expected to be familiar with the following. Richard swinburne offers a sophisticated, promising solution to the problem of evil. Along the way, make sure to explain a what the problem of evil is in general, and b what the problem of moral evil is in particular as opposed to the problem of nonmoral evil. The problem is not found in the lack of balance between good and evil in the world.
Swinburnes aim is to respond to the problem of evil by constructing a theodicy, an explanation of why god would allow. Cahn states that it is equally likely that if an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent being created the world, then an omniscient omnipotent, omnimalevolent demon could have done the same. An allpowerful being would be able to prevent evil from happening in the world. The author makes several suggestions for improvement and concludes that there is a. The weakest part of this solution to the problem of evil seems to me to be its attempted justification of natural evil. Phillips goes on to provide an alternative response to the problem of evil.
An atheist who experiences the absence of god can argue that the world is probably as this experience represents it as being ie. This position of swinburnes resembles hicks, when he speaks of the twostages conception of the creation of humankind first creation with the potential for knowledge. But theodicists also face a deeper challenge, one that places under question the very attempt to look for any morally sufficient reasons god might have for creating a world. The problem of evil cannot be solved philosophy essay. Many theists today only provide versions of the free will defense in relation to the problem of evil. Providence and the problem of evil oxford scholarship. Hick supports the view of religious pluralism the view that all religions have insight and truth into what is real, and no one religion is exclusively absolute. 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. Pdf at what price plantinga and swinburne on the problem. Being allowed to suffer to make possible a great good is a privilege, even if the privilege is forced upon you. In providence and the problem of evil, richard swinburne, one of this centurys best christian apologists, finally gives us a fulllength treatment of evil. Swinburne has been hugely influential in the field of arguing for the existence of god from religious experience, and this chapter sums up his argument.
Gods existence philosophers have looked for ways to explain gods existence for centuries. This book discusses four different answers to the problem of evil, provided by richard swinburne, keith ward, david griffin and johan hygen. Swinburnes recently published solution to the problem of evil involves in effect an. In explanation of moral evil his basic argument is that.
The problem of evil the concept of evil natural and moral and the logical and evidential problem of evil religious responses to the problem of evil. Thus peter van inwagen, throughout his book the problem of evil. Evil is a problem, not because there is evil in the world or that there is so much of it in the world. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading providence and the problem of evil. Feb 23, 2016 in this video, i discuss richard swinburne s interesting argument from a need for knowledge which claims that the need for knowledge of the consequences of o. Swinburnes hell and hicks universalism by lindsey hall aldershot. As such, it is a much condensed form of his arguments, which leaves many of his points hanging undeveloped. We noted in chapter 1 that, ho\vever much good god creates, he could create more. Providence and the problem of evil by richard swinburne, 1998.
He is an emeritus professor of philosophy at the university of oxford. Providence and the problem of evil kindle edition by. Providence and the problem of evil richard swinburne. In book viii, chapter vii, of the confessions, augustine describes. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The existence of god and problem with evil today the news is filled with coverage on various natural catastrophes and other related causalities that people face daily.
Cahn also creates two types of good, just as swinburne categorized two types of evil. God does everything he can to bring about that good. Jan 29, 2011 more on this topic can be found in his providence and the problem of evil. Pdf providence and the problem of evil download read. Providence and the problem of evil richard swinburne download. Ive read on the problem of evil quite a bit, and usually you will find the same argument. Providence and the problem of evil by richard swinburne. In order to address the validity of the evidential approach championed by the new apologists, i will scrutinize the arguments presented in his book. Jul 29, 2008 theodicy, the enterprise of searching for greater goods that might plausibly justify gods permission of evil, is often criticized on the grounds that the project has systematically failed to unearth any such goods. Michael martin attacks swinburne s position by arguing for negative credulity. Providence and the problem of evil is the final volume of richard swinburnes acclaimed tetralogy on christian doctrine. The warning theodicy rationalizes evil as gods warning to people to mend their ways. In his essay, cahn parallels swinburne s situation of the problem of evil with the problem of goodness.
Part 2 of this book describes the good goals that god might be seeking to. In this life, hall agrees with hick that we are at an epistemic distance from god and freely develop our own wills. It may be read on its own as a selfstanding treatment of this eternal philosophical issue. Paul draper florida international university like swinburnes other books, providence and the problem of evil is clearly written and meticulously argued. First, he holds constant the conception of god as omnipotent and perfectly good. This has been, on both sides of the discussion, methodologically unchallenged. This book discusses four different solutions to this problem, provided by richard swinburne, keith ward, david griffin and johan hygen, with the goal of finding the most coherent solution. Pdf it is widely held that the logical problem of evil, which alleges an. The problem of evil and the power of god book summary.
The basic idea here is that at least many kinds of evil are not the result of gods actions, but of the free actions of human beings. Swinburne justifies this saying that you have to be in a kind of parental. Providence and the problem of evil is the final volume of richard swinburne s acclaimed tetralogy on christian doctrine. Richard swinburne s tetralogy on christian doctrine is a remarkable.
Therefore, it must not be the case that any being is both allpowerful and allgood. Swinburne presents us with an explanation of evil that focuses not just on our free will, but on the importance of mutual responsibility as. An excellent introduction to many of the problems in swinburne s book can be found in chapter 7 the philosophy of religion of john hospers an introduction to philosophical analysis. Parents rightly allow a dentist to cause pain to their children for the greater good of healthy adult teeth. Providence and the problem of evil kindle edition by swinburne, richard. The problem of evil is not that of the absence of various good states. Cahn calls these goods moral goods, those humans do for each other, and physical goods, those found in the human environment. Read swinburnes problem of evil essay sample for free at. The problem of evil stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Anyone can look into their lives or even their neighbors and see the presence of misfortune that surrounds our world. What we value about free will, according to swinburne. The author suggests several improvements to these answers and concludes that there is a coherent answer to the problem of evil.
Like swinburne s other books, providence and the problem of evil is clearly written and meticulously argued. Oct 31, 2009 swinburne s next argument is the argument from hiddenness, the idea that keeping himself largely hidden from human sight is just the sort of thing a perfect god would do, since too obvious a godly presence inhibits the ability of humans to make a free choice whether or not to worship god, and that allowing evil into the world is a part of the. Richard swinburnes tetralogy on christian doctrine is a remarkable. Many people immediately respond to the problem of evil, as stated above, by saying that the problem with the argument is that it ignores free well. Algernon charles swinburne5 april 1837 10 april 1909 algernon charles swinburne was an english poet, playwright, novelist, and critic.
The last chapter of itg deals with swinburnes discussion of miracles and the argument from religious experience. Critically evaluate hicksswinburnes solution to the problem of. Essay about richard swinburnes the problem of evil. The philosophical problem of evil is the challenge of reconciling belief in god. What swinburne says here is surely very reasonable, and i can see no.
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. In doing so, they cast aside a powerful philosophical tool for theism. Within philosophical literature, the problem of evil has been traditionally classified into two versions, namely, the intellectual and emotional. This book offers an answer to one of the most difficult problems of religious belief. Solved critically evaluate hicksswinburnes solution. Swinburne on the problem of evil there are 4 points. His first line of argument is that some evils can serve greater good. Even the book of proverbs, despite its occasional flashes of cynicism. Over the last 50 years swinburne has been an influential proponent of philosophical arguments for the existence of god. An excellent introduction to many of the problems in swinburnes book can be found in chapter 7 the philosophy of religion of john hospers an introduction to philosophical analysis. It may be read on its own as a selfstanding treatment of. Mutazila theologians approached the problem of theodicy within a framework of moral realism, according to which the moral value of acts is accessible to unaided reason, so that humans can make moral judgments about divine acts. Nov 12, 2011 1 richard swinburne, providence and the problem of evil new york, ny.
Swinburnes recently published solution to the problem of evil involves in effect an alteration of 7. Swinburne s goal is to specify, for every single evil in the world, goods that would justify god s allowing that evil. Arguments for the existence of god, the problem of evil, and meaning and truth in religion. Problem of evil, not to mention other books that swinburne himself considers it. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Several biographical points should be briefly mentioned.
Richard swinburne gives a careful, clear examination of this problem, and offers an answer. John hicks important work on the problem of evil from the 1960s was a turning point in the study of theodicy. Swinburnes chapter on why god allows evil, presents a nauseating spectacle of specious reasoning. Buy providence and the problem of evil by swinburne, richard isbn. In his essay, the problem of evil, by richard swinburne, the author attempts to explain how evil can exist in a world created. One such argment that the believer must justify in order to maintain the possibility of gods existence is the problem of evil. Aug 27, 1998 this book offers an answer to one of the most difficult problems of religious belief. John hick has written extensively concerning the problem of evil.
As the books title leads us to expect, the main focus of part i is the problem of evil. This is the idea that atheists dont experience god and, using the principle of credulity, this counts against god s existence. An analysis of richard swinburnes the existence of god 2010 by gabe czobel. I plantinga s presentation of the free will defense is a landmark in contemporary discussions of the problem of evil. Phillips problems with evil and with god researchgate.
In his essay, the problem of evil, by richard swinburne, the author attempts to. The theodicist, in which swinburne calls himself, believes that it is not wrong for god to create or permit various evils because in turn these evils can help or make a person better, however. This problem has brought up the issue of gods existence in religious philosophical discussions. 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. Cahn attacks this problem by using the same argument that swinburne uses, the freewill defense. An allgood being would want to prevent evil from happening in the world. As a short, popular entryway to swinburne s arguments this book succeeds. Swinburne uses to freewill defense and says that god gave us a choice between doing good and doing evil. 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. One such argment that the believer must justify in order to maintain the. This position of swinburne s resembles hick s, when he speaks of the twostages conception of the creation of humankind first creation with the potential for knowledge, then a gradual process of further growth and development through human freedom.