Intro:
In my most recent video (here), I introduced a solution to the logical problem of evil (LPoE) named the free will defence. This is a defence raised by Alvin Plantinga against the idea that God and Evil are logically incompatible.
The Free Will Defence:
The Free Will Defence essentially aims to show that the concept of God is compatible with the existence of evil. Instead of having to prove and explain why God may allow evil, that would be a theodicy, the free will defendant only needs to demonstrate that God and evil are not logically contradictory, that means that there exists one possible world where God can exist simultaneously with evil.
To demonstrate the existence of such a world, Plantinga argues that if God created free agents who can choose to do evil, then it follows that it is possible that God can exist alongside the evil (created by the free choice of the agents). Since this is not logically impossible, it follows that this is a possible world, demonstrating that evil and God can exist simultaneously.
To conclude:
It is now accepted by most philosophers, including Mackie himself (a philosopher well known for raising the problem of evil) that the Free Will Defence successfully defeats the logical problem of evil. That said, the evidential problem of evil is still an issue for the free will defendant. Hence, we will be turning to theodicies in my next post.
A reminder:
If you are interested in a more in depth discussion of the free will defence feel free to check out my video where I also cover the following topics briefly:
- Free will v Determinism
- Theodicy v Defence
If you are interested in these two aspects make sure to watch the video here and subscribe to my channel and this blog so that you are updated whenever I make an upload.
Apologetics for All 