Naturalism Next

Merry belated Christmas, readers of the Naturalism Next Blog. I am a guest writer and friend of the Blog, you can find my blog here , and my twitter handle here . The post you are about to read was originally posted on reddit , and then extended, edited, and improved to go on my blog . This version is further edited per the request of the Naturalism Next Blog contributors. Feel free to skip the introduction, it was originally intended to introduce the basics of the problem of evil and theodicy for uninformed redditors. Introduction The problem of evil is an argument for the non-existence of God ('God' here is understood as a being with omni-attributes, omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence), which starts with some facts or observations, of evil, or suffering we see in the world. For instance, the occurrence of evil and suffering generally, or more concrete horrific examples of evil or suffering such as a Fawn burning to death in a forest fire ( Rowe 1979 ). There are two k...

Introduction Attention : I am currently working on a new version of this post. This is now out-of-date, though it still largely represents my views accurately. Pending the release of that new post, I will keep this up - but be cautious in citing it as most sections are being significantly revised. (Note: I am now working on a video version of this post! If you prefer that format, click here to check it out and subscribe to my channel. That being said, the more comprehensive and up to date version of this post will always be here.) Writing essays explaining why one rejects theism or Christianity has become somewhat of a tradition for nontheists. Ever since Russell’s classic Why I’m Not a Christian, both professional philosophers and people in the online philosophy of religion space have written pieces summarizing their reasons for disbelief [1]. Partially inspired by these posts, and encouraged by a number of friends, I have decided to make a post in a similar vein. In this essay, ...