On the very idea of a theodicy
On the very idea of a theodicy
It is, mostly, an unchallenged assumption in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion that it makes sense to justify the ways of God to humankind by constructing a theodicy. I argue that this assumption is severely flawed: far from solving the ‘problem of evil’, theodicies exacerbate it. Not only do they presuppose an incoherent, anthropomorphic conception of God as a kind of invisible ‘super-person’ who inhabits the same moral universe as ordinary human beings, the attempt to turn God into such a ‘super-agent’ morally backfires as well. I propose instead that we should stop seeking a justification for the state of the world in favour of learning from Wittgenstein that the solution to the ‘problem of evil’ is seen in the ‘vanishing of the problem’, and, above all, from Kierkegaard that to have faith means to accept – not to exonerate – the way the world is in a spirit of joy.
theodicy, Wittgenstein, Kierkegaard, Phillips, Swinburne, faith, infinite resignation
Schönbaumsfeld, Genia
586652b5-20da-47cf-9719-4fc587dfa4e8
August 2018
Schönbaumsfeld, Genia
586652b5-20da-47cf-9719-4fc587dfa4e8
Schönbaumsfeld, Genia
(2018)
On the very idea of a theodicy.
In,
Burley, Mikel
(ed.)
Wittgenstein, Religion and Ethics: New Perspectives from Philosophy and Theology.
Bloomsbury Publishing.
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Book Section
Abstract
It is, mostly, an unchallenged assumption in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion that it makes sense to justify the ways of God to humankind by constructing a theodicy. I argue that this assumption is severely flawed: far from solving the ‘problem of evil’, theodicies exacerbate it. Not only do they presuppose an incoherent, anthropomorphic conception of God as a kind of invisible ‘super-person’ who inhabits the same moral universe as ordinary human beings, the attempt to turn God into such a ‘super-agent’ morally backfires as well. I propose instead that we should stop seeking a justification for the state of the world in favour of learning from Wittgenstein that the solution to the ‘problem of evil’ is seen in the ‘vanishing of the problem’, and, above all, from Kierkegaard that to have faith means to accept – not to exonerate – the way the world is in a spirit of joy.
Text
On the Very Idea of a Theodicy IV
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Accepted/In Press date: 2017
Published date: August 2018
Additional Information:
Chapter 5
Keywords:
theodicy, Wittgenstein, Kierkegaard, Phillips, Swinburne, faith, infinite resignation
Organisations:
Philosophy
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Local EPrints ID: 407896
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/407896
PURE UUID: c7377ed5-3d91-4dc5-8e83-31d6e135eada
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Date deposited: 28 Apr 2017 01:06
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 13:22
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Editor:
Mikel Burley
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