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    Marilyn McCord Adams argues that God's 'larger picture' j... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→God, as Creator, would deal with a much larger picture and a much longer timeframe than that with which humans are immediately concerned.

    Marilyn McCord Adams argues that God's 'larger picture' justification mirrors precisely the consequentialist reasoning classical theists use to impugn utilitarian ethics.

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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Classical theists reject utilitarianism by claiming individual rights cannot be sacrificed for aggregate welfare, yet invoke similar aggregate justifications for divine permission of suffering.
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    • 2.Adams correctly identifies a performative inconsistency: if God's 'larger picture' justifies permitting evil, the same logic should justify utilitarian policies that maximize overall good.
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    • 3.Both theistic and utilitarian frameworks prioritize outcomes over deontological constraints, revealing that the classical theist critique of utilitarianism is epistemically unstable.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.Divine permission of evil differs fundamentally from human utilitarian action: God possesses omniscience and creates all options, while humans act under uncertainty with constrained choices.
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    • 2.Classical theists can consistently reject utilitarianism while accepting divine justification by appealing to God's unique authority to override natural rights—a privilege humans lack.
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    • 3.Adams conflates metaphysical justification (why God permits evil) with normative ethics (how humans should act), which operate under different epistemic and moral constraints.
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    Related

    Adams conflates metaphysical justification (why God permits evil) with normative...Adams correctly identifies a performative inconsistency: if God's 'larger pictur...Both theistic and utilitarian frameworks prioritize outcomes over deontological ...Classical theists can consistently reject utilitarianism while accepting divine ...
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    Classical theists reject utilitarianism by claiming individual rights cannot be ...Divine permission of evil differs fundamentally from human utilitarian action: G...God, as Creator, would deal with a much larger picture and a much longer timefra...

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    claim
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    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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    1 edit