Abstract
The logical problem of evil holds that the existence of the theistic God, who is considered omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent, is logically incompatible with the existence of evil. Since there is evil in the world, the existence of the theistic God is then logically impossible. Alvin Plantinga has argued that if God has a good reason to allow evil to exist, the logical problem of evil fails. And the good reason that God has might be the great value of significant freedom – the freedom to choose between moral good and evil. Wesley Morriston objects that Plantinga’s free will defense is incompatible with one of the components of his ontological argument that God is omnibenevolent in every possible world. This paper aims to show that Morriston mistakenly assumes that the free will defense theorist holds the account of significant freedom for both human and divine freedom. If I am right, Plantinga’s defense of free will can meet Morriston’s objection.
Keywords
Philosophy of religion defense of free will ontological argument Alvin Plantinga Wesley Morriston
References
- Kane, Robert. A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Morriston, Wesley. “Is God “Significantly Free?””. Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers 2/3 (1985), 257-264. https://doi.org/10.5840/faithphil19852331
- O’Connor, Timothy. “Freedom with a Human Face”. Midwest Studies in Philosophy 29/1 (2005), 207-227. https://doi-org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1111/j.1475-4975.2005.00113.x
- O’Connor, Timothy – Franklin, Christopher. “Free Will”. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2021 Edition). Edited by Edward N. Zalta. Accessed on March 21, 2023. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2021/entries/freewill/
- Plantinga, Alvin. God, Freedom, and Evil. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977.
- Plantinga, Alvin. “Will There Be Free Will in Heaven?” (Interviewer: Bart Ehrman, Video Recording, Accessed on March 21, 2023). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWsDZzTIWhw
- Smith, Quentin. Ethical and Religious Thought in Analytic Philosophy of Language. Michigan: Yale University Press, 1997.
- Taskin, Ferhat. The Problem of Divine Creative Freedom. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, Ph.D. Dissertation, 2023.
- Timpe, Kevin. “God’s Freedom, God’s Character”. In Free Will and Theism: Connections, Contingencies, and Concerns. Edited by Kevin Timpe – Daniel Speak. 277-293. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Wierenga, Edward. The Nature of God. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1989.
Abstract
References
- Kane, Robert. A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Morriston, Wesley. “Is God “Significantly Free?””. Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers 2/3 (1985), 257-264. https://doi.org/10.5840/faithphil19852331
- O’Connor, Timothy. “Freedom with a Human Face”. Midwest Studies in Philosophy 29/1 (2005), 207-227. https://doi-org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1111/j.1475-4975.2005.00113.x
- O’Connor, Timothy – Franklin, Christopher. “Free Will”. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2021 Edition). Edited by Edward N. Zalta. Accessed on March 21, 2023. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2021/entries/freewill/
- Plantinga, Alvin. God, Freedom, and Evil. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977.
- Plantinga, Alvin. “Will There Be Free Will in Heaven?” (Interviewer: Bart Ehrman, Video Recording, Accessed on March 21, 2023). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWsDZzTIWhw
- Smith, Quentin. Ethical and Religious Thought in Analytic Philosophy of Language. Michigan: Yale University Press, 1997.
- Taskin, Ferhat. The Problem of Divine Creative Freedom. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, Ph.D. Dissertation, 2023.
- Timpe, Kevin. “God’s Freedom, God’s Character”. In Free Will and Theism: Connections, Contingencies, and Concerns. Edited by Kevin Timpe – Daniel Speak. 277-293. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Wierenga, Edward. The Nature of God. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1989.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Religious Studies |
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | December 31, 2023 |
| Submission Date | April 5, 2023 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2023 Volume: 14 Issue: 2 |
Web of Science Rank by Journal Citation Indicator (JCI)
