The Free Will Defence

1. The Free Will Defence Discuss: Imagine a parent does everything for a child. - Would the parents be acting responsibly? - What type of adult might the child turn into? - To what extent are parents & children comparable to God & creation?

2. What does Augustine say about Evil? ALL: will know Augustine’s Theodicy MOST: will be able to offer criticisms to Augustine’s Theodicy SOME: will evaluate whether Augustine’s Theodicy solves the problem of evil

3. Fill in the Blanks: The Problem of Evil A famous version of the problem of evil was put forward by the philosopher Epicurus. He asks three questions: Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able to? Then he is not omnipotent If God able to prevent evil, but not willing to? Then he is malevolent (evil) Is God able to prevent evil and willing to? Then why is there evil?

4. Who am I? Re-Cap! • I believe God is NOT all-loving – He/She won’t help us. • I believe God is NOT all-powerful She/He can’t help us • I think only two of three points can exist at the same time (all-loving, powerful and knowing) • The Judeo-Christian idea of God does not exist It’s me! David Hume!

5. Can you work out who I am?New information!! • I think God’s ‘Goodness’ is a very different concept from our own • God may tolerate evil as a temporary part of his plan • God has a reason for evil to exist • I agree with Hume but still believe in God • I am a 13th Century Christian theologian • I wrote summa theologica It’s me! Thomas Aquinas!

6. So, you have seen some possible explanations to the problem of evil, but both Hume and Aquinas make it difficult to accept the Judeo-Christian concept of God. What other responses are there that try to solve the problem of evil? Three key theodicies… • The Augustinian Theodicy • The Irenaean Theodicy • Process Theodicy What is a theodicy? A theodicy = justification of God. Each theodicy tries to explain how the existence of God and the existence of evil is compatible.

7. The Augustinian Theodicy • Also known as the free will defence • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEPRz3WeJio

8. Evil is the PRIVATION of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. Augustine said that evil came not from God, whom is all-good, but from those entities which had free will–angels and humans who turned their backs on God, the supreme good, and settled for lesser goods. As a consequence, the state of perfection was ruined by human SIN and the delicate balance of the world was destroyed. When humans choose to disobey God, they create an “absence of good” within themselves.

9. Explaining Privatio Boni Brian Davies argues that evil is not a substance but “a gap between what there is and what there ought to be.” • Something made by God has an intended nature/purpose. As long as it lives up to its purpose it remains perfect. It can have no evil because it is living up to God’s purpose. Privation – an absence or lack of something However, over time things can stop fulfilling their purpose fully. Incompleteness enters and so imperfection does to. The incompleteness takes the object away from God’s purpose. This is evil. It exists only as an absence of Good (privatio Boni)

10. 10 minutes! Research Task Number 1’s: You will be completing the ‘fact’ finding part of the worksheet Number 2’s: You will be looking at the reasons behind Augustine’s theory Number 3’s: You will begin the evaluation of Augustinian Theodicy You now need to join together in groups of three, 1 from each research area, and share your information so that your sheet is complete.

11. TASK • Create a diagram to represent the Theodicy of Augustine • It can have images and words

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