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William Hasker (2000) within Process Studies explains
that the problem of evil has been written about more in the last ten years
than the other theistic proofs put together,[1] and the trend
continues.[2]
In his (2007) review of Peter van Inwagen’s book The Problem of Evil, he explains that a theodicy,
unlike a defence, attempts to state the true reasons why evil exists[3] in a creation and
world ruled by God. Theistic and Christian theodicy are therefore largely a
response to initial Seventeenth, and primarily Eighteenth century and forward,
secular criticisms of the theology and philosophy of God within religion and
Christianity.
According to Michael Peterson, William Hasker,
Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger (1996) Augustine was one of the first
writers to comprehensively deal with the problem of evil,[4] and so it would
seem important for me to review his approach in my United Kingdom, PhD.
2015 Note
During my research I found that a key exemplar,
Alvin C. Plantinga held to a similar view in regard to theodicy versus defence
as Hasker and Plantinga provided a defence.
However, although I earned my PhD at
Wales, I briefly previously worked at Manchester and my advisor, Professor David Pailin, I
reason was correct in stating that the defence versus theodicy difference was
minimal.
I came to this conclusion myself as both approaches largely speculate in regard to the problem of evil,
as human beings have finite knowledge, in comparison to God’s infinite
knowledge, although a theodicy is expected to be more robust and dogmatic.
I cautiously embedded a
theodicy within my PhD relying on Bible, philosophical theology and philosophy of religion.
HASKER, WILLIAM (1989) God, Time, and Knowledge, Ithaca, Cornell University Press.
HASKER, WILLIAM (1993) ‘C. Robert Mesle, John
Hick’s Theodicy: A Process Humanist Critique’, in Philosophy of Religion, Volume 34, Number 1, pp. 55-56. Dordrecht,
Netherlands, Philosophy of Religion.
HASKER, WILLIAM (1994) ‘Can Philosophy Defend
Theology?’, in Faith and Philosophy,
Volume 11, Number 2, April, pp. 272-278.
Wilmore, Kentucky, Asbury College.
HASKER, WILLIAM (2000) ‘The Problem of Evil in
Process Theism and Classical Free Will Theism’, in Process Studies, Volume. 29, Number 2, Fall-Winter, pp. 194-208.
Claremont, California, Religion Online.
HASKER, WILLIAM (2003) ‘Counterfactuals and Evil’,
in Philosophia Christi, Volume 5,
Number 1, pp. 235-249. La Mirada, California, Biola University.
HASKER, WILLIAM (2003) ‘Is Free-Will Theism
Religiously Inadequate? A Reply to Ciocchi’, in Religious Studies, Volume 39, Number 4, December, pp. 431-440.
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
HASKER, WILLIAM (2007) ‘Peter van Inwagen, The
Problem of Evil’, in Notre Dame
Philosophical Reviews, Notre Dame, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.
PETERSON, MICHAEL, WILLIAM HASKER, BRUCE
REICHENBACH, AND DAVID BASINGER (1996)(eds.), ‘Introduction: Saint Augustine:
Evil is Privation of Good’, in Philosophy
of Religion, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
