In Defence of C.S. Lewis' Soul-Making Theodicy: A Reply to Wolterstorff

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-199
Author(s):  
Erik J. Wielenberg
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Moral Character ◽  
John Hick ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The World

In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis offers a multi-pronged Christian explanation for the suffering in the world. Lewis first develops a free will theodicy, according to which much of the suffering in our world is a by-product of human free will. To account for the remaining suffering (caused by, for instance, disease and natural disasters), Lewis develops a version of the soul-making theodicy, according to which some of the suffering in the world is permitted by God as part of a divine project of improving the moral character of human beings. Nicholas Wolterstorff has recently raised some interesting challenges for Lewis's soul-making theodicy. In this essay I respond to Wolterstorff's critique by drawing not only on Lewis's broader corpus beyond The Problem of Pain but also, to a lesser extent, on the thought of two other contemporary proponents of the soul-making theodicy, John Hick and Trent Dougherty. My main goal is to make the case that Lewis's version of the soul-making theodicy has more depth and resilience than Wolterstorff's critique suggests.

scholarly journals HUMAN IMPACTS ON LANDSCAPES: LESSONS OF CITIES FROM THE PAST

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-28
Author(s):  
ERIC FOUACHE ◽  
STÉPHANE DESRUELLES
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World

The first cities emerged in the Middle East at the end of the 4th millennium BC. Studies in the field of archaeology, geomorphology, geoscience and history allow us to understand which types of hazards were affecting the cities, and how they had an impact on landscapes in the past, in the Middle East, but also in other parts of the world. There is much to be gained: these studies are fundamental to a better understanding of present-day hazards, to urban development, but also to remembering our heritage. Cities have always been susceptible to nature’s risks and natural disasters but have also – through urban development and through the proximity of great numbers of human beings –, generated their own specific hazards.

God and Suffering

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Laura W. Ekstrom
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Human Suffering ◽  
Alvin Plantinga ◽  
John Hick ◽  
The Core ◽  
The World ◽  
Enormous Amount ◽  
William Rowe ◽  
Character Building

This chapter launches a new investigation of the question of God’s existence, examining it against the reality of human suffering and bringing to the fore contentious presuppositions concerning agency and value at the core of the debate. When we survey the world, we observe an enormous amount of pain, including virtually unspeakable kinds of maltreatment and agony, many instances of which seem patently unfair, unearned, and pointless. This chapter initiates the book’s argument that, in light of these observations, it is reasonable to conclude that God does not exist. The chapter critically examines and extends the work of William Rowe, John Hick, and Alvin Plantinga, taking up apparently pointless instances of suffering and the proposed justifying goods of character-building and free will.

Why is there so much evil?

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-243
Author(s):  
William Hasker
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Problem Of Evil ◽  
Natural Order ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The World ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
Good And Evil

The problem of evil is one that perplexes both believers and non-believers. The best approach to the problem is to see evil and suffering as the outcome of general policies God has adopted in creating and governing the world—policies which on the whole are good and beneficial, but which in specific cases lead to suffering for humans and other sentient creatures. Chief among these policies are the policy of allowing human beings to exercise free will in choosing between good and evil, and the policy of creating and sustaining a world of nature that operates according to its inherent laws, with divine interventions into the natural order comparatively infrequent. This approach benefits persons suffering from various evils by releasing them from an often fruitless search for “God’s reasons” for the evil in question, and enabling them to focus on the grace and strength given by Christ to live courageously in spite of their suffering.

Newman, Arnold & the Problem of Particular Providence

1988 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-187
Author(s):  
Leslie Armour
Keyword(s):  
Matthew Arnold ◽  
John Hick ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Inner Life ◽  
Divine Intervention ◽  
Selective Interference ◽  
The World

It has often been suggested – recently again by Michael Goulder in a debate with John Hick – that what traditionally was called the problem of ‘particular providence’, the problem of God's selective interference in the ongoing affairs of the world, is so acute as to render any form of rational theism impossible. In the same debate Hick argues for a ‘minimalist’ position which allows divine intervention only in the form of a general, radiated, goodness and benevolence on which human beings may draw. In this paper I want to show that reason permits and some evidence suggests another (and richer) possibility – the possibility that God intervenes through the inner life and perhaps by establishing the cast of characters. I shall construct this alternative usingideas developed from Cardinal Newman and Matthew Arnold.

scholarly journals Existentialism- The Struggle Remains in Mulk Raj Anand’s Major Novels

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Pillai Rajammal Swaminathan ◽  
Dr. K. Thiyagarajan
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
First Principle ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Human Love ◽  
Jean Paul ◽  
Authentic Existence ◽  
The World ◽  
Realistic Representation ◽  
Individual Existence

Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It is centered upon the analysis of existence and of the way humans find themselves existing in the world. The perception is that, humans exist first and then each individual spends a lifetime changing their essence or nature. Existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. Existentialism is a quest for authentic existence. Jean-Paul Sartre says, ‘Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. Such is the first principle of existentialism.’ Man’s sufferings and humiliations comes under the aspect of existentialism, which is found in the novels of Anand.  Anand is a humanist and his humanism manifests itself in a realistic representation of the inhumanity of the situation of the oppressed masses, suffering, various types of disability, discrimination and alienation. Existentialism is an aspect of humanism and Anand has portrayed it through human beings pathetic sufferings and miseries. Anand’s humanism dwells into the survival of human love through existentialism. The humanism of Anand showcases the concerns of existentialism, exposing the reality of life and its tragic condition of suffering and misery. The pathetic condition of suffering and misery is existential since it has the elements of chance, absurdity and nothingness in them. Their alienated conditions are shaped by fear and loneliness. Though Anand denies of being an existentialist, his most of the works reveal existential ideologies of Sartre and Heidegger.

The Theology of Plato in Book X of the Laws: an Evolving Perspective

2018 ◽  
pp. 183-188
Author(s):  
Anastasios Ladikos
Keyword(s):  
Moral Character ◽  
The State ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
False Beliefs ◽  
The World ◽  
Divine Judgment ◽  
Small Parts ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Rational Direction

This paper deals with Plato’s theology based mainly on Book X of the Laws. According to Plato, there are three false beliefs which are fatal to moral character, namely atheism, denial of the moral government of the world, and the belief that divine judgment can be bought off by prayers and offerings. Furthermore, legislation is an embodiment of the divine laws that govern the universe, and therefore it is the task of the legislator to see that every aspect of the state is directed to the inculcation of virtue. Human beings are seen as small parts of the universe and that the gods’ care for human affairs is seen as part of their care for the whole. Plato reinforces the argument that since the universe is under rational direction, one can be certain that what happens to humans after death will be appropriate to the character they have acquired in this life. The message is thus conveyed that people will in some way be rewarded or punished after death, without relying on the kind of mythical detail which the young atheist would obviously reject.

Hermeneutical Constraints

2019 ◽  
pp. 219-269
Author(s):  
Edward Slingerland
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Free Will ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Genetic Inheritance ◽  
Cognitive Sciences ◽  
The World ◽  
Physical Objects ◽  
Supernatural Agency

The topic of this chapter is a body of work from various branches of the cognitive sciences suggesting that the tendency to distinguish qualitatively between bodies and minds—between physical objects subject to mechanical causality and agents capable of free will, planning, and intentionality—is a human cognitive universal. It develops reliably and early in human beings, a genetic inheritance shaped by the powerful adaptive pressures of social living. In addition, there is good evidence that this distinction between objects and agents reliability kicks off mind-body dualism, afterlife and soul beliefs, a perception of “meaning” in the world, and concepts of supernatural agency that share broad features across cultures and throughout history. These universals create suspicion of any claim that the early Chinese were strong mind-body holists. Relevant cognitive universals include Theory of Mind, concepts of psychological interiority, and basic supernatural, afterlife and soul beliefs.

Leibniz: Discourse on Metaphysics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The World

The Discourse on Metaphysics, written around January 1686, is one of Leibniz’s fundamental works, since it is the most accomplished systematic expression of Leibniz’s philosophy in the 1680s, the time when Leibniz’s philosophy reached maturity. The point of the Discourse is to give a metaphysics for Christianity. That is, Leibniz’s goal is to give the answers that he believes Christians should give to the basic metaphysical questions, questions about why the world exists, what is the world like, what kinds of things exist, and what is the place of human beings in the world. To this purpose Leibniz discusses some of the most traditional topics of metaphysics, like the nature of God, the purpose of God in creating the world, the nature of substance, the possibility of miracles, the nature of our knowledge, free will, and the justice behind salvation and damnation. This book is a new translation of the Discourse and a philosophical commentary of it.

scholarly journals PROBLEMATIKA EPISTEMOLOGIS TENTANG VISI, MISI, DAN TUJUAN PENDIDIKAN ISLAM

AHSANA MEDIA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38
Author(s):  
Syamsul Rijal
Keyword(s):  
Work Ethic ◽  
Moral Character ◽  
Islamic Education ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Community Or ◽  
Global Era ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future

The hegemonic challenges of Western globalization have caused serious impacts on the future of Islamic education. This reality must be realized by Muslims and more specifically those involved in the world of education. For this reason, there is an anticipatory and alternative tactical and strategic step to free themselves from the hegemonic grip of Western globalization. The conception of Islamic model education does not only see education as an attempt to "educate" only (intellectual education, intelligence), but in line with the Islamic concept of human beings and their essence of existence. Therefore, the formulation of the vision, mission and objectives of Islamic education is expected to be more problematic, strategic, anticipatory, touch the application aspects and can touch the needs of the community or use of graduates. That is, Islamic education seeks to build people and society as a whole and thoroughly (insan kamil) in all aspects of a cultured and civilized life that is reflected in the lives of pious and faithful people, democratic and independent, knowledgeable, skilled, work ethic and professional, pious charity, personality, graceful morality and moral character, capable of innovation and access to change and competitive and cooperative abilities in the global era and local thinking in obtaining world welfare and the hereafter.

When Mother Earth Rises Up

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Sacchi ◽  
Paolo Riva ◽  
Marco Brambilla
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Disaster Victims ◽  
Willingness To Help ◽  
Mother Earth

Anthropomorphization is the tendency to ascribe humanlike features and mental states, such as free will and consciousness, to nonhuman beings or inanimate agents. Two studies investigated the consequences of the anthropomorphization of nature on people’s willingness to help victims of natural disasters. Study 1 (N = 96) showed that the humanization of nature correlated negatively with willingness to help natural disaster victims. Study 2 (N = 52) tested for causality, showing that the anthropomorphization of nature reduced participants’ intentions to help the victims. Overall, our findings suggest that humanizing nature undermines the tendency to support victims of natural disasters.

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