Swinburne

Swinburne

Question: Why is the presence of evil a threat to God's existence? In other words, what is the problem of evil? What is Swinburne's main solution to this problem? Explain a little how this solution works. Do you agree with Swinburne's solution? Why or why not?

Richard Swinburne's problem with evil "whether the existence of God is compatible with the existence of evil." (The Problem of Evil, pg. 610). The theodicist, in which Swinburne calls himself, believes that it is not wrong for God to "create or permit" various evils because in turn these evils can help or make a person better, however; the antitheodicist denies the previous claims. He does not believe that God would permit any evil in our world. In conclusion, the existence of evil proves the existence of God.

Swinburne's solution to the problem of evil is that he "wants to show how from a theistic standpoint, the existence of evil can be compatible with the existence of an all powerful, all knowing, all good God." (Lecture notes, pg. 2). His plan is to point out that evil is necessary for "greater good." I agree with this solution because the world is not perfect. We as humans and even animals need the consequences of evil to find the good in ourselves as well as the good in the world. There are different types of evil as explained by Swinburne, physical evil, mental evil, state evil and moral evil. All evil is meant to be, without evil in the world, how would we know what good is? I do agree with Swinburne's solution. I believe that if the existence of evil was not present in our world then we would not know the true meaning of happiness. Without suffering for example, how would one know the feeling of true happiness or contentment? In conclusion, evil is necessary in the world.

...