Week 12: Wednesday, April 5th

What does the fact that horrendous evils exist mean for our belief systems? For some beliefs, the existence of horrendous evil present a serious challenge to whether we should maintain, or revise, some of our beliefs, especially religious beliefs. In this class we consider natural a-theology: arguments that no rational person should believe that God (or a god) exists. But, we’ll also look at how the existence of horrendous evils present a challenge to a-theists and to religious non-theists. By the end of class, you will:

1. Understand the philosophical “problems of evil” and some responses. You’ll learn about problems of evil for theists, atheists, and believers in karma.

2. Reflect on whether there are any morally satisfying resolutions to the problem of evil, given the actual evils we find in the world.

3. Reflect on the appropriate effect evils should have on theistic faith and non-theistic faith.

4. Debate in class whether specific (theological) assumptions should be appealed to in efforts to prove an argument from evil is unsound.

READ THIS:

Philosophical Text: Marilyn McCord Adams, “Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God” [access through Moodle]

Philosophical Text: Whitley Kaufman, “Karma, Rebirth, and the Problem of Evil” [access through Moodle]

Application Text: Listen to Marilyn McCord Adams, “A Problem of Evil for Atheists”

WATCH THIS:

DO THIS:

Consider the following questions, write your responses in your journal, and talk about them with a friend:

1. What are some reasons God (if God exists) might allow evil in the world? If you were going to craft a defense for God, what would you try?

2. The existence of evil, and particularly “the suffering of the innocent,” presents a challenge to many belief systems, including those who believe in Karma. Whitley Kaufman argues that a theory Karma is not a satisfactory response to the problem of “innocent suffering.” What’s his reasoning? Why do you agree or disagree with his assessment of Karma?

3. Are there some forms of suffering that simply cannot be compared to other forms of suffering?  Why or why not?

4. Marilyn Adams argues that atheists have a problem of evil, too, if they aim to be epistemically rational in living a productive life given the existence of horrendous evils. Try to lay out her argument in Premise / Conclusion form, and figure out if her argument is logically valid or sound.