William J. Abraham
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- November 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198786504
- eISBN:
- 9780191828706
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198786504.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
In this chapter, the author engages recent proposals about the nature of divine action among those involved in the interface of theology and science. He first looks at the broad agenda involved and ...
More
In this chapter, the author engages recent proposals about the nature of divine action among those involved in the interface of theology and science. He first looks at the broad agenda involved and its goals, canvassing the overall structural character of the conceptual claims on offer with respect to divine agency and divine action. Then the author interacts with the core claims of the work of Robert John Russell. Attention to Russell’s work gives the chapter more specificity since Russell is an exemplary figure in the debate. The author concludes by arguing that the move to look at quantum physics for help on divine action is limited at best, and a dead-end at worst.Less
In this chapter, the author engages recent proposals about the nature of divine action among those involved in the interface of theology and science. He first looks at the broad agenda involved and its goals, canvassing the overall structural character of the conceptual claims on offer with respect to divine agency and divine action. Then the author interacts with the core claims of the work of Robert John Russell. Attention to Russell’s work gives the chapter more specificity since Russell is an exemplary figure in the debate. The author concludes by arguing that the move to look at quantum physics for help on divine action is limited at best, and a dead-end at worst.
Vince R. Vitale
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198864226
- eISBN:
- 9780191896392
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198864226.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Using an ethical framework constructed out of the two variables of whether an agent causes, permits, or risks horrendous evils, and whether she does so in order to bestow pure benefit or in order to ...
More
Using an ethical framework constructed out of the two variables of whether an agent causes, permits, or risks horrendous evils, and whether she does so in order to bestow pure benefit or in order to avert greater harm, some of the major theodicies in contemporary philosophy of religion are categorized. This chapter identifies theodicies that depict God as permitting horrendous evil for pure benefit, risking horrendous evil for pure benefit, and permitting horrendous evil for the aversion of greater harm. Each theodicy is summarized and an evaluation is made as to whether it is structurally promising with respect to horrendous evils, where structural promise denotes that God is ethically in the clear on the assumption that the explanatory story told by the theodicy is true. The conclusion drawn is that the theodicies depicting God as permitting horrendous evils for pure benefit are structurally deficient; they do not depict God as ethically perfect even if they are true. Structural promise is identified in theodicies that depict God as risking horrendous evil for pure benefit and permitting horrendous evil for the aversion of harm. In the next chapter the plausibility of these structurally promising approaches is considered.Less
Using an ethical framework constructed out of the two variables of whether an agent causes, permits, or risks horrendous evils, and whether she does so in order to bestow pure benefit or in order to avert greater harm, some of the major theodicies in contemporary philosophy of religion are categorized. This chapter identifies theodicies that depict God as permitting horrendous evil for pure benefit, risking horrendous evil for pure benefit, and permitting horrendous evil for the aversion of greater harm. Each theodicy is summarized and an evaluation is made as to whether it is structurally promising with respect to horrendous evils, where structural promise denotes that God is ethically in the clear on the assumption that the explanatory story told by the theodicy is true. The conclusion drawn is that the theodicies depicting God as permitting horrendous evils for pure benefit are structurally deficient; they do not depict God as ethically perfect even if they are true. Structural promise is identified in theodicies that depict God as risking horrendous evil for pure benefit and permitting horrendous evil for the aversion of harm. In the next chapter the plausibility of these structurally promising approaches is considered.
