The Problem of Evil: Crash Course Philosophy #13

Crash Course Philosophy: The Problem of Evil

Key Concepts:

• Logical Problem of Evil: The contradiction between the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent God and the existence of evil.
• Theodicy: An attempt to justify God's existence in the face of evil.
• Free Will Defense: The theodicy that God created free beings, and evil is a consequence of their choices.
• Moral Evil: Evil committed by humans.
• Natural Evil: Evil caused by natural events.
• Evidential Problem of Evil: The argument that even if evil is necessary, the amount of evil in the world is excessive.
• Soul-Making Theodicy: The idea that God deliberately creates an imperfect world to allow humans to develop and grow.

The Logical Problem of Evil

The video introduces the problem of evil as a significant challenge to theistic belief. The core of the argument is that the existence of evil contradicts the attributes typically ascribed to God: omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), and omnibenevolence (all-good).

• The Contradiction: If God knows about evil, can prevent it, and wants to prevent it, then evil should not exist. Since evil does exist, at least one of these attributes must be false, or God does not exist.
• Evil Defined: "Evil" encompasses a wide range of negative experiences, from minor inconveniences to catastrophic events.
• Theistic Responses: Some theists address this by relinquishing one or more of God's omni-attributes, suggesting God may not be fully powerful, knowledgeable, or good. The Old Testament is cited as an example of a depiction of God with anger issues.

The Free Will Defense

The video explains the most popular theodicy, the Free Will Defense, which attempts to reconcile God's existence with the presence of evil.

• Core Argument: God maximized goodness by creating free beings. Freedom entails the possibility of choosing evil, and some individuals exercise this choice.
• God's Role: God doesn't create evil, but preventing it would require depriving humans of their freedom, which would result in a worse world overall.
• Preservation of Divine Attributes: This defense maintains God's goodness, omnipotence, and omniscience by arguing that God has a good reason for allowing evil: to safeguard human freedom.
• Limitation: The Free Will Defense primarily addresses moral evil (evil caused by human actions) and struggles to account for natural evil (evil caused by natural disasters).

Flash Philosophy: Ivan Karamazov

The video uses a fictional example from Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov to illustrate a response to the problem of evil.

• Ivan's Rejection: Ivan, a character in the novel, believes in God but finds the existence of evil, especially the suffering of children, unforgivable.
• "Returning the Ticket": Ivan refuses to accept a place in heaven offered by a God who allows such suffering, effectively "un-friending" God.
• Interpretations: Some view Ivan's decision as noble and principled, while others consider it irrational to condemn oneself to hell.

Alternative Theodicies

The video explores alternative theodicies that attempt to address the problem of evil.

• Good and Evil as Opposites: The argument that good cannot be understood without the existence of evil, using examples like pleasure and pain, warmth and cold, and satiety and hunger.
• Soul-Making Theodicy (John Hick): God deliberately creates an "unfinished" world to provide opportunities for humans to develop and grow through challenges and hardships. Earthly life is like a "boot camp" designed to build character. God is not a benevolent owner but a trainer who wants to build us into a particular kind of being.

The Evidential Problem of Evil

The video introduces the evidential problem of evil, which goes beyond the logical problem.

• Core Argument: Even if evil is necessary for understanding goodness, the sheer amount and intensity of evil in the world seem excessive and disproportionate.
• Minimum Dosage: If a negative contrast is needed, why does God not provide only the minimum amount of evil necessary?
• Disproportionate Evil: Examples like slow, painful deaths from cancer and city-destroying hurricanes seem to add little to our understanding of goodness.
• Counterargument: The idea that there's always a good that corresponds to any evil is challenged, particularly in cases like genocide, where it's difficult to find a proportionate good.
• Limitations of Soul-Making: The "whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger" argument doesn't always hold, as evil can kill people before they have a chance to learn and grow.

Conclusion

The video concludes by acknowledging that the problem of evil is a complex and challenging issue for theists.

• Range of Responses: People respond to the problem of evil in various ways, including finding a satisfying theodicy, rejecting God's omni-nature, or rejecting the existence of God altogether.
• Importance of Grappling: Regardless of one's beliefs, the problem of evil is a question that requires serious consideration.
• Continued Exploration: The video sets up the next episode, which will explore the justification for religious beliefs.