Plato's Theodicy: The Forgotten Fount (Brill's Plato Studies)

Ever since antiquity, the presence of evil has been considered incompatible with the existence of God. This apparent contradiction gave rise to the argument from evil, which turned into a formidable weapon against theism. Faced with this challenge, theists of all creeds have been proposing theodicies, or justifications of God's ways. This monograph is the first book-length treatment of the subject from a Platonic perspective. Its essential message is that Plato devised a noteworthy and influential theodicy comprised of several theodicean strategies, some of which remain relevant even today. Hence, Plato's pioneering contribution to the field of theodicy deserves the attention of both philosophers and theologians. Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Abbreviations 11 Introduction 14 1 The Problem of Evil and Theodicy in Republic 379b–c 25 1.1 Traditional Religion’s First Profanation: Gods as Causes of Both Good and Evil 26 1.2 Plato’s Objections to Homer and Hesiod 31 1.3 Some Principles of Plato’s Theology 33 1.4 The Problem of Evil in Republic II 44 1.5 Does Plato Really Propose a Theodicy in Republic II? 52 1.6 Closing Remarks 55 2 Theodicy in Republic X: the Myth of Er 57 2.1 The Myth of Er: an Overview 58 2. 2 The Αἰτία ἑλομένου· θεὸς ἀναίτιος Dictum 69 2. 3 The Theodicean Significance of the Lottery Episode in the Myth of Er 72 2.4 Αἰτία ἑλομένου: the Problem of Free Agency and Individual Moral Accountability 79 2.4.1 A Platonic Account of Freedom and Responsibility 80 2.4.2 The Challenge of Determinism 84 2.4.3 Infinite Regress of Accountability? 89 2.4.4 Further Objections Addressed 91 2.5 Closing Remarks 96 3 Theodicy in the Theaetetus? 99 3.1 Setting the Scene: the Theaetetus Digression 100 3.2 The Problem of Evil in the Theaetetus 104 3.2.1 The Status of τὸ ἀγαθόν at 176a6 105 3.2.2 The Status of ὑπεναντίον at 176a6 108 3.2.3 The Status of τὰ κακά and Their Relation to the ὑπεναντίον 109 3.2.4 The Status of ἀνάγκη at 176a6 and Its Relation to the ὑπεναντίον 111 3.2.5 Ἡ θνητὴ φύσις and the Evils 112 3.2.6 Further Reflections on ἀνάγκη 115 3.3 Theodicy in the Theaetetus 117 3.3.1 Socrates and His God 118 3.3.2 Plato and the Soul-Making Theodicy 119 3.4 Closing Remarks 123 4 Theodicy in the Timaeus 126 4.1 Traditional Religion’s Second Profanation: Divine Envy 127 4.2 Plato’s Answer to the Second Profanation 132 4.2.1 The Concept of φθόνος in Plato’s Theology 133 4.2.2 Divine Goodness and the ‘Why a World at All?’ Question 139 4.3 Theodicy in the Timaeus 143 4.3.1 The Principle of Plenitude 144 4.3.2 The Solution from Personal Responsibility 149 4.3.3 A Factor Beyond God’s Control: Timaean Necessity 152 4.4 Personal Responsibility Abandoned? 160 4.5 Closing Remarks 164 5 Theodicy in Laws X 168 5.1 The Natural Theology of the Laws 169 5.2 Plato and the Aesthetic Theme 173 5.3 Inescapability of Divine Justice and Personal Responsibility 182 5.4 Closing Remarks 189 Conclusion 194 References 202 Index Locorum 215 Index Nominum 224 Plato's Theodicy argues successfully that the earliest major contribution to the attempt to justify the ways of an omnibenevolent deity against the ubiquity of evil is made in Plato's dialogues. It is the first published book-length treatment of this subject.