The problem of evil : the Gifford lectures delivered in the University of St. Andrews in 2003

## Abstract This book contains in eight chapters the revised text of eight Gifford lectures, which were delivered at the University of St Andrews in 2003. The problem of evil may be formulated as a question addressed to theists: why would an all-powerful and benevolent God permit the existence of vast amounts of truly horrible suffering? Many reflective people are convinced that this question has no answer. The reasons that underlie this conviction can be formulated as an argument for the non-existence of God, the so-called argument from evil: if there were a God, he would not permit the existence of vast amounts of truly horrible suffering; since such suffering exists, there is no God. The examination of the problem of evil in these chapters is largely an examination of the argument from evil, which the author of the book regards as a paradigmatically philosophical argument. The conclusion of the main argument of the chapters (which takes the form of a debate centred on the ‘free-will defence’) is that the argument from evil is, like most philosophical arguments, a failure. The following topics receive special attention: the concept of God; success and failure in philosophical argument; versions of the argument from evil that depend on the vast amount of evil in the world and versions of the argument that depend on a particular evil, such as the Holocaust; the free-will defence; animal suffering; and the problem of the hiddenness of God. It is generally supposed that the fact that the world contains a vast amount of suffering, much of it truly horrible suffering, confronts those who believe in an all-powerful and benevolent Creator with a serious problem: to explain why such a Creator would permit this. Many reflective people are convinced that the problem, the problem of evil, is insoluble. The reasons that underlie this conviction can be formulated as a powerful argument for the non-existence of God, the so-called argument from evil: If there were a God, he would not permit the existence of vast amounts of truly horrible suffering; since such suffering exists, there is no God. Peter van Inwagen examines this argument, which he regards as a paradigmatically philosophical argument. His conclusion is that (like most philosophical arguments) it is a failure. He seeks to demonstrate, not that God exists, but the fact that the world contains a vast amount of suffering does not show that God does not exist. Along the way he discusses a wide range of topics of interest to philosophers and theologians, such as: the concept of God; what might be meant by describing a philosophical argument as a failure; the distinction between versions of the argument from evil that depend on the vast amount of evil in the world and versions of the argument that depend on a particular evil, such as the Lisbon earthquake or the death of a fawn in a forest fire; the free-will defense; animal suffering; and the problem of the hiddenness of God. The Vast Amount Of Suffering In The World Is Often Held As A Particularly Powerful Reason To Deny That God Exists. Now, One Of The World's Most Distinguished Philosophers Of Religion Presents His Own Position On The Problem Of Evil. Highly Accessible And Sensitively Argued, Peter Van Inwagen's Book Argues That Such Reasoning Does Not Hold: His Conclusion Is Not That God Exists, But That Suffering Cannot Be Shown To Prove That He Does Not. The Problem Of Evil And The Argument From Evil -- The Idea Of God -- Philosophical Failure -- The Global Argument From Evil -- The Global Argument Continued -- The Local Argument From Evil -- The Sufferings Of Beasts -- The Hiddenness Of God. Peter Van Inwagen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [177]-180) And Index. The book is clear and easy to understand. However, I felt that the book dragged on too long before it got to the "meat" of the argument; by the word "meat", I mean the crux of the PoE. Perhaps my impatience hails from my familarity with the issue, and if that's true, then I encourage readers who are not acquainted with the PoE to ignore my criticism. But, for those of you who are familiar with the PoE, you need not worry because the latter half of the book is worth the purchase. The vast amount of suffering in the world is often held as a particularly powerful reason to deny that God exists. Presenting his own distinctive treatment of the problem of evil, the author, a philosopher of religion, maintains that such reasoning does not hold, and that suffering should not undermine belief in God The Vast Amount Of Suffering In The World Is Often Held As A Particularly Powerful Reason To Deny That God Exists. Highly Accessible And Carefully Argued, Peter Van Inwagen's Book Maintains That Such Reasoning Does Not Hold, And That Suffering Should Not Undermine Belief In God.