God and the Problem of Evil

by William L. Rowe (Editor)

Overview

God and the Problem of Evil brings together influential essays on the question of whether the amount of seemingly pointless malice and suffering in our world counts against the rationality of belief in God, a being who is said to be all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780631222217
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	07/16/2001
Series:	Wiley Blackwell Readings in Philosophy , #1
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.08(w) x 9.08(h) x 0.96(d)

About the Author

William L. Rowe is Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University. He is the author of The Cosmological Argument (1998), Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction (third edition, 2001), and co-editor of Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings (third edition, 1999). He has served on the Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association and was elected President of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association for 1986-87.

Table of Contents

Contributors.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

PART I. HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT ESSAYS AND CONTEMPORARY RESPONSES.

1. Theodicy (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz).

2. Must God Create the Best (Robert Merrihew Adams).

3. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (David Hume).

4. Hume on Evil (Nelson Pike).

PART II. THE LOGICAL PROBLEM OF EVIL.

5. Evil and Omnipotence (J. L. Mackie).

6. The Free Will Defense (Alvin Plantinga).

PART III. THE EVIDENTIAL PROBLEM OF EVIL.

7. An Exchange on the Problem of Evil (Daniel Howard-Snyder, Michael Bergmann and William L. Rowe).

8. Stalemate and Strategy: Rethinking the Evidential Argument from Evil (J. L. Schellenberg).

9. Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists (Paul Draper).

10. The Problem of Evil, the Problem of Air, and the Problem of Silence (Peter van Inwagen).

PART IV. THEOFICIES.

11. Some Major Strands of Theodicy (Richard Swinburne).

12. Soul-Making Theodicy (John Hick).

13. The Problem of Hell: A Problem of Evil for Christians (Marilyn McCord Adams).

Index.

Editorial Reviews

"God and the Problem of Evil is the best anthology on this important topic on the market. Highly recommended for classroom adoption." Bill Wainwright, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

"This is a splendid and unique collection. It contains both explicit and implicit dialogue. It is beautifully balanced between atheistic and theistic perspectives. And for its size it is remarkably comprehensive, covering both logical and evidential problems and both theodicies and defenses. Paul Draper, Florida International University

From the Publisher