PHIL 008 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: William Lane Craig, Michael Persinger, Blaise Pascal
29 Oct 2020
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The problem of evil (p1) evil exists (e. g. suffering) (p2) if evil exists, then there is no god (=an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient being) There is no god (= an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient being) The argument for p2 is that if such a being existed it necessarily could and would eliminate evil (p2) if evil exists, then there is no god (=an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient being) William lane craig: p2 is not a logical truth. It it is possible that god could exist while there is evil, provided god has morally sufficient reasons for allowing evil. Possible responses: (1) god wanted to give us free will, and god can"t do this without allowing for evil/suffering (2) evil is necessary for there to be more overall goodness than if there were no evil. Evil provides a test and an opportunity for goods like courage, steadfastness, and faith to develop. Another type of argument for god"s existence: religious experiences.
