1. Individual Work
Starter
Key Word Test

2. Useful Quotations: David Hume: “The rock of atheism”.
Basil Mitchell: “Full force of the problem”.
Richard Swinburne said that the theist must have a satisfactory answer to this problem, otherwise there is no reason why the atheist should share his faith (pg. 43 Tyler exact quote).

3. What is the Problem of Evil?
Most powerful objection to belief in God.
Occurs two frameworks put together:
Metaphysics.
Empiricism.

4. God is omniscient (all-knowing). God is omnipotent (all-powerful).
1. The concept of God (within classical theism) must fulfil the following metaphysical requirements:
God is omniscient (all-knowing).
God is omnipotent (all-powerful).
God is omnibenevolent (all-loving).
Empirical facts about the world:
4. There is evil and suffering in the world.
The Problem of Evil occurs when we try reconcile proposition 4 (empirical fact) with the first 3 (metaphysical properties of God).
* Religious believer trapped within contradiction.

5. St. Augustine (354-430) in his Confessions (Bk 7, ch 5) presented dilemma in single sentence:
“ Either God cannot abolish evil, or he will not; if he cannot then he is not all-powerful; and if he will not then he is not all-good”.
Discussion dates back to at least 1st century. Problem of Evil first formulated by Epicurus ( ).

6. J. L. Mackie – Evil and Omnipotence
Discussed 3 propositions comprising the P of E form an inconsistent triad .
Triad – 3 inconsistent statements:
a) God’s omnipotence
c) Evil exists
b) God’s omnibenevolence
Theist compelled accept a) and b) as part of their faith and it’s counter-intuitive to reject c). If one angle removed, problem solved, all 3 remain = logical inconsistency!!

7. Qualification of God’s nature *Anthony Flew
The problem of evil suggests that either God is not omnipotent and all-loving, or he does not exist.
Famous atheist David Hume concluded the latter – God of classical theism cannot exist.
Qualification of God’s nature
God is not perfectly good/not all-powerful/not all-loving
*Anthony Flew

8. Tasks: Individual
Pg. 43 – The challenge of evil – useful scholars and quotations.
Pg. 44 – The Inconsistent triad
Pg. 45 The nature of God –
Pg. 46 & 47 brief notes – Does evil have a purpose?? Next lesson!!!!

9. David Hume
In his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Hume looked at the qualities of omnipotence, omni benevolence (all-lovingness) and evil.
God is not omnipotent, or
God is not all-loving, or
Evil does not exist.

10. He concluded that
There was too much direct evidence for the existence of evil for the third option.
God must therefore be either impotent or malicious.
In either case, the classical definition of God as omnipotent, etc. appears redundant.
He therefore concluded that God does not exist.

11. What about the theist??
Some denied proposition 4 – evil exists in the world.
Christian science - Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy – illusion, state of mind. Satisfactory??
God not powerful - ??
Notes pg
Religious believers have to accept each corner of the triad as part of their faith. Trapped within a contradiction.
No – theist has to show the existence of evil is compatible with a good, omnipotent God.

12. Plenary: What is the problem of evil?
Why is this a philosophical problem?
Who first formulated the problem of evil?
Who wrote “confessions”?
What is the inconsistent triad??
What was David Hume’s position and why?

13. Starter Evil and Suffering 2 types 3 metaphysical requirements
Epicurus
Augustine
Mackie …..

14. Gary Numan (1958-) said: Nature is genius at its most cruel and
savage. No benevolent God could come
Up with such an outrage.