God, Evil and Design An Introduction to the Philosophical Issues

by O'Connor, David

• ISBN13: 9781405157704
• ISBN10: 1405157704
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-06-03
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Although vast and complex, the universe is orderly in many ways, and conditions at its beginning were right for the eventual evolution of life on this planet. But with life there is death, and with sentient life there is great pain and suffering, often with no apparent justification or purpose. Taking these things together, is it reasonable to conclude that the universe was brought about by God? Moreover, does the magnitude of seemingly pointless suffering square with the idea that God exists, or is it good reason to think there is no God? These questions come up for many people, not just religious believers, and are examined in this engaging and thought-provoking book. Starting out with no pre-disposition to theism, atheism, or agnosticism, God, Evil, and Design takes up these questions in order to see where an impartial investigation leads. To achieve impartiality, the reader is invited to simulate ignorance insofar as his or her own religious preference is concerned. With this approach, God, Evil, and Design provides both a fresh look at important and controversial issues in philosophy and an excellent introduction to the contemporary debates surrounding them. Lively and non-technical, this book will be accessible to anyone with an interest in these topics.

Author Biography

David O'Connor is Professor of Philosophy at Seton Hall University, and the author of three books, including Hume on Religion (2001), God and Inscrutable Evil (1998) and The Metaphysics of G.E. Moore (1982).

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

What We Are Going to Investigate and How

Terminology

The Logic of God and Evil

Is the Existence of God Impossible?

A Free-Will Defense of the Possibility that God Exists

Design and Evil

Natural Order, Natural Selection, and Supernatural Design (1)

Natural Order, Natural Selection, and Supernatural Design (2)

Evil and Design (1)

Is the Existence of God Improbable?

Skeptical Defenses

Evaluating Skeptical Defenses

Evil and Design (2)

Greater-Good Defenses

Evaluating Greater-Good Defenses

Taking Stock

Taking Stock

Index

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