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    Perspectives
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    The existence of evil provides no basis for inferring the... — Carmelics
    Home/Natural Theology
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    The existence of evil provides no basis for inferring the existence of an infinitely powerful and good God

    Natural Theology
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    2 reasons for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    2 perspectives
    Reason for 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.An infinite being's evaluative framework necessarily transcends finite human moral intuitions about what counts as 'evil' (Aquinas, ST I.25).
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    • 2.What appears as irredeemable evil from a temporally limited perspective may constitute necessary conditions for higher-order goods inaccessible to human cognition.
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    • 3.Therefore, the human inference from observed suffering to divine absence or malevolence commits a category error by applying finite standards to an infinite being.
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    Reason for 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Alston's 'skeptical theism' establishes that humans are systematically poor judges of whether God would have sufficient reasons to permit specific evils (Alston 1991).
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    • 2.An inference against God's existence from evil is only valid if we can reliably enumerate all possible justifying reasons an omniscient being could possess.
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    • 3.Our epistemic limitations render the evidential inference from evil to no-God not just weak but methodologically illegitimate as a probabilistic argument.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.The enormous degree and vast range of evil in this world cannot be explained or justified from a human perspective
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    • 2.Evidence that casts considerable doubt on a hypothesis undermines any inference to that hypothesis
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    • 3.The reality of evil constitutes contrary evidence against the claim that an infinitely powerful and good being created and governs the world
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    Topics

    Natural TheologyProblem of Evil

    Connections

    3 topics

    Against an attribute of God1 linkedTruth & Knowledge1 linkedJustice & Punishment1 linked

    Related

    Alston's 'skeptical theism' establishes that humans are systematically poor judg...An inference against God's existence from evil is only valid if we can reliably ...An infinite being's evaluative framework necessarily transcends finite human mor...Evidence that casts considerable doubt on a hypothesis undermines any inference ...
    +5 moreShow less
    Our epistemic limitations render the evidential inference from evil to no-God no...The enormous degree and vast range of evil in this world cannot be explained or ...

    Similar

    The existence of evil does not tell against God's existence and goodne...87%The mere possibility that all evil is necessary does not suffice to ju...87%The reality of evil constitutes contrary evidence against the claim th...86%Any degree of unnecessary evil, however small, is incompatible with th...86%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: hume-religion
    View source passageHide passage
    The tendency of Hume’s discussion of evil, in both the Enquiry and Dialogues, is to insist on the reality of evil and the doubts that this casts on any claim that the beauty, harmony and order of this world provides us with clear evidence that an infinitely powerful and good being created and governs it. As we have noted, Hume’s argument falls short of categorically denying that God exists on the ground that there is unnecessary evil in this world. What Hume’s arguments do show, however, is that
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    The reality of evil constitutes contrary evidence against the claim that an infi...
    Therefore, the human inference from observed suffering to divine absence or male...
    What appears as irredeemable evil from a temporally limited perspective may cons...
    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (2 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit