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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter February 22, 2023

Van Gogh’s Painting and an Incestuous Universe

Why Wahlberg’s Critique is Insufficient

  • Atle Ottesen Søvik EMAIL logo and Asle Eikrem

Abstract

This article continues a discussion the authors have had with Mats Wahlberg on evolutionary theodicies. We have previously suggested a theodicy where there are token unique goods that could only have been actualized through indeterministic evolution. Wahlberg objects that we cannot appeal to such goods, since given indeterminism, God cannot know that such goods will appear. In this article we respond by arguing that God can know well enough that certain kinds of token goods will appear, without knowing in detail their specific character, or when they will happen.

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Beitrag setzt eine Diskussion fort, die die Autoren mit Mats Wahlberg über evolutionäre Theodizee geführt haben. Wir haben zuvor ein Theodizeeverständnis vorgeschlagen, in dem es einzigartige token-Güter gibt, die nur durch eine indeterministische Evolution hervorgebracht werden konnten. Wahlberg wendet dagegen ein, dass wir uns nicht auf solche Güter berufen können, weil Gott unter der Bedingung des Indeterminismus nicht wissen kann, dass solche Güter auftreten werden. In diesem Beitrag antworten wir darauf und argumentieren, dass Gott sehr wohl wissen kann, dass bestimmte Güter auftreten werden, ohne im Detail deren spezifischen Charakter oder den Zeitpunkt ihres Erscheinens zu kennen.

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Published Online: 2023-02-22
Published in Print: 2023-06-30

© 2023 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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