Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 97 (2):367-392 (2018)
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Abstract |
A common argument for atheism runs as follows: God would not create a world worse than other worlds he could have created instead. However, if God exists, he could have created a better world than this one. Therefore, God does not exist. In this paper I challenge the second premise of this argument. I argue that if God exists, our world will continue without end, with God continuing to create value-bearers, and sustaining and perfecting the value-bearers he has already created. Given this, if God exists, our world—considered on the whole—is infinitely valuable. I further contend that this theistic picture makes our world's value unsurpassable. In support of this contention, I consider proposals for how infinitely valuable worlds might be improved upon, focusing on two main ways—adding value-bearers and increasing the value in present value-bearers. I argue that neither of these can improve our world. Depending on how each method is understood, either it would not improve our world, or our world is unsurpassable with respect to it. I conclude by considering the implications of my argument for the problem of evil more generally conceived.
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Keywords | Best Possible World Evil God Infinity Multiverse Problem of Evil Religion Theodicy Utility Value |
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Reprint years | 2018 |
DOI | 10.1111/phpr.12383 |
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How Valuable Could a Person Be?Joshua Rasmussen & Andrew M. Bailey - 2021 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 103 (2):264-277.
Kant’s Critical Theory of the Best Possible World.Maya Krishnan - 2021 - Kantian Review 26 (1):27-51.
Moral Indulgences: When Offsetting is Wrong.Rebecca Chan & Dustin Crummett - 2019 - Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion 9:68-95.
The Divine Ethic and the Argument From Evil.Jeff Jordan - 2018 - European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 10 (4):193-202.
View all 8 citations / Add more citations
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