Evil and the many universes response

International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 70 (2):127-138 (2011)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

I formulate and defend a version of the many universes (or multiverse) reply to the atheistic argument from evil. Specifically, I argue that (i) if we know that any argument from evil (be it a logical or evidential argument) is sound, then we know that God would be (or at least probably would be) unjustified in actualizing our universe. I then argue that (ii) there might be a multiverse and (iii) if so, then we do not know that God would be (or at least probably would be) unjustified in actualizing our universe. It follows that we cannot know that the atheistic argument from evil is sound, in which case we cannot be certain that the argument succeeds, and so it is rational to refuse to reject theism because of such arguments

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Megill’s Multiverse Meta-Argument.Klaas J. Kraay - 2013 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 73 (3):235-241.
Against Multiverse Theodicies.Bradley Monton - 2010 - Philo 13 (2):113-135.
Evidential arguments from evil.Richard Otte - 2000 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 48 (1):1-10.
The problem of evil and the attributes of God.James A. Keller - 1989 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 26 (3):155 - 171.
Many Inscrutable Evils.Robert Bass - 2011 - Ars Disputandi 11:118-132.
The Evidential Argument from Evil.Daniel Howard-Snyder - 1996 - Indiana University Press. Edited by Daniel Howard-Snyder.
God might be responsible for physical evil.Michael Bertrand - 2009 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 87 (3):513 – 515.
The Nihilistic Consequences of the Argument from Evil.Robert Lehe - 2009 - International Philosophical Quarterly 49 (4):427-437.
Theism and Modal Collapse.Klaas J. Kraay - 2011 - American Philosophical Quarterly 48 (4):361.
Surplus Evil.Daniel Howard-Snyder - 1990 - Philosophical Quarterly 40:78-86.

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-11-19

Downloads
493 (#34,007)

6 months
13 (#117,898)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Jason Megill
Bentley College

References found in this work

On the Plurality of Worlds.David K. Lewis - 1986 - Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell.
The Nature of Necessity.Alvin Plantinga - 1974 - Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
On the Plurality of Worlds.David Lewis - 1986 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 178 (3):388-390.
God, freedom, and evil.Alvin Plantinga - 1978 - Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism.William L. Rowe - 1979 - American Philosophical Quarterly 16 (4):335 - 341.

View all 39 references / Add more references