Continuing on Gottfried Leibniz’s Theodicy (1710). We get further into the weeds: What is the metaphysical necessity for evil? Leibniz says God doesn't actually cause evil; it's just that his optimal creation will necessarily have some evil in it. Just the fact that he's necessary and infinite, and his creation is contingent and finite means that creatures involve some lack, Continue Reading …
Ep. 253: Leibniz on the Problem of Evil (Part One)
Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode, or listen to a preview. Citizens can get the entire second part here. On Gottfried Leibniz’s Theodicy (1710), as considered by Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. Why does God allow so many bad things to happen, from diseases and other natural afflictions to violence insane and premeditated? This question is often used as a challenge to the Continue Reading …
Ep. 253: Leibniz on the Problem of Evil (Part One for Supporters)
On Gottfried Leibniz’s Theodicy (1710), as considered by Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. Why does God allow so many bad things to happen, from diseases and other natural afflictions to violence insane and premeditated? This question is often used as a challenge to the existence of a good God as offered by traditional religion. If He's all-powerful and all-knowing, He could Continue Reading …
Episode 158: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy (Part Two)
Continuing on the Consolation (524 CE). We discuss chiefly books 3 and 4, which present the classical one-dimensional model of the good: We all tend toward the good (or what we think to be good, and if we're wrong about what that is, then we can be judged as failing in our aim toward the good), which is happiness, which (because God created everything and the creator must Continue Reading …
Episode 158: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy (Part One)
On the Consolation, written as Boethius awaited execution in 524 CE. Do bad things really happen to good people? Boethius, surprisingly, says no, for Stoic (anything that can be taken away can't be of central importance; you can't lose your virtue in this way), Aristotelian (all things tend toward the good, and the best thing for a person is achieving his or her innate Continue Reading …
Ep. 158: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy (Citizen Edition)
On the Consolation, written as Boethius awaited execution in 524 CE. Do bad things really happen to good people? Boethius, surprisingly, says no, for Stoic (anything that can be taken away can't be of central importance; you can't lose your virtue in this way), Aristotelian (all things tend toward the good, and the best thing for a person is achieving his or her innate Continue Reading …
Moore on Theodicy
In the episode, I brought up Moore's use of the non-mathematical character of the good (in that one good plus another good doesn't necessarily make a whole with the good equal to the sum of the parts) by bringing up theodicy, i.e. the defense of the existence of evil in a perfectly good world by saying that that evil is necessary, because it allows us to be virtuous in response Continue Reading …