This paper is about a short piece written by Inwagen titled “The Argument from Evil.” It focused on the existence of evil and its relevance to the existence of God. This paper will be about the problem of evil and how the free will defense explained the existence of an omnipotent being.
The problem of evil, as stated by Inwagen, is that it contradicts the existence of God. We live in a world where evil is a constant part of many people’s lives. If there were a God, why would they continue to let such horrors continue? The argument of evil assumes that there are two features of God that are supposed to be non-negotiable. These features are that God is omnipotent and morally perfect. To be omnipotent means that he can do anything that does not…show more content… The first reason is that it explains the two important and prominent problems of the free will defense, “How can anyone possibly believe that evils of this world are outweighed by the goods inherent in out having free will…it seems impossible to believe that it can outweigh the amount of physical suffering that actually exists” and “not all evils are the result of human free will.” It provided more than a simple theory as to why God allows for evil to exist with his creations. It gave a detailed story that offered plausible information for the questions regarding the free will defense and the problem of evil. Such as God allowing evil and free will to exist for the greater good in order for humanity to return to its paradisal place. Similarly, it also offered a reasonable explanation to how there exist human caused evils and natural evils. Another reason I believe that this is a satisfactory defense is that it explains how humans came to existence and uses the evolutionary theory as its basis. Therefore, according to this defense, there may be some scientific support supporting the existence of a god. This version of the free will defense also expresses the idea that everything occurs by chance, and therefore, everyone truly does have free choice. Their past actions affect their future actions, not the other way around where their past events are all determined to lead to one single future. This allows for humans to truly have free will and because they are not controlled by some predestined
