What do you think?
Rate this book
God and Evil: Readings on the Theological Problem of Evil
Paperback. Wrappers are worn, rubbed and scuffed. Some curling to corners and edges. Spine is chipped and worn. Else good. 114 pages.
- GenresPhilosophyReligion
114 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1964
3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 3, 2019
“The existence of evil in the world must at all times be the greatest of all problems which the mind encounters when it reflects on God and His relation to the world.” –G. H. Joyce, quoted on p. 62
The “Problem of Evil Dilemma” shows up in various formulations in both philosophy and theodicy, a theological sub discipline. The quandary is clearly articulated as early as Epicurus (+270 BCE). Here’s my formulation:
It seems possible for as many as four of the following statements to be true. Is it impossible (as it seems) for all five statements to be true?
*God is all powerful
*God sees all and knows all
*God is perfectly good, is all-compassionate, and is all-loving
*God exists
*Evil exists
The ins and outs, strengths and weaknesses of the dilemma are cogently explored, argued, but (as always) never entirely resolved in the chapters by J. L. Mackie and H. J. McCloskey in this book. Other chapters from Dostoevski and John Stuart Mill and a chapter distilling the remarks of David Hume provide historical amplification. And the beat goes on.
Negative factors: avoidable (the lack of an index) and unavoidable (a now-dated bibliography). A more current bibliography would include full treatments by Marilyn McCord Adams, John Hick, Alvin Plantinga, Richard Swinburne, and Peter van Inwagen, for instance.
The “Problem of Evil Dilemma” shows up in various formulations in both philosophy and theodicy, a theological sub discipline. The quandary is clearly articulated as early as Epicurus (+270 BCE). Here’s my formulation:
It seems possible for as many as four of the following statements to be true. Is it impossible (as it seems) for all five statements to be true?
*God is all powerful
*God sees all and knows all
*God is perfectly good, is all-compassionate, and is all-loving
*God exists
*Evil exists
The ins and outs, strengths and weaknesses of the dilemma are cogently explored, argued, but (as always) never entirely resolved in the chapters by J. L. Mackie and H. J. McCloskey in this book. Other chapters from Dostoevski and John Stuart Mill and a chapter distilling the remarks of David Hume provide historical amplification. And the beat goes on.
Negative factors: avoidable (the lack of an index) and unavoidable (a now-dated bibliography). A more current bibliography would include full treatments by Marilyn McCord Adams, John Hick, Alvin Plantinga, Richard Swinburne, and Peter van Inwagen, for instance.
Displaying 1 of 1 review