Explanation and criticism of Keith Ward's view on the problem of evil

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student in philosophy of religion. Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies Noor university of Tehran. Iran

2 Assistant professor department of philosophy, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies university of payme nor.tehran.iran

3 Assistant professor of philosophy Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies ,payame Nor University.Tehran.Iran

4 Assistant professor of philosophy, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies Nor University.Tehran.Iran

10.22108/mph.2024.142459.1584

Abstract

Keith Ward is one of the philosophers of religion who has dealt with the issue of God and his relationship with the world and the evil in it. In explaining his point of view, he first deals with the concept of God, whose existence is necessary. The necessary description of God, who is of course powerful and purely benevolent, requires the creation of the world from nothing, which gives value and beauty to the world by performing this act. A world whose creatures should be independent and free. But these attributes of the world, i.e. freedom and independence, require the presence of evil in it, in the sense that such a world cannot be without the possibility of evil and suffering. Of course, he believes that in the other world (the afterlife), people will reach eternal happiness and the wicked will perish. There are criticisms of Kate Ward's view; That the Almighty and benevolent God should not prescribe evil. The independence of the world does not need suffering and God can create an independent world without suffering. Even if independence is important for the world, it is not worth all this suffering, and it would be better if humans and the world had less independence, and it seems that God has acted too expensively by granting independence to the world.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 December 2024
  • Receive Date: 14 August 2024
  • Revise Date: 04 December 2024
  • Accept Date: 22 December 2024