Evil & Evidence For God Pb (Paperback)

by R. Geivett (Author)
Key Phrases: theodicy hypothesis, theistic argumentation, gratuitous evil, The Possibility of Natural Theology, Beatific Vision, Thomas Aquinas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"By appealing to recent scientific opinion that the universe may well have had an absolute beginning, Geivett develops an interesting, forceful argument for the rationality of belief in God. He then expounds the Augustinian free will theodicy and defends it against Hick's criticisms." --William L. Rowe "Moving from a comparison of the Irenaean and Augustinian traditions in theodicy to a powerfully original critique of Hick's influential 'soul-making' theodicy, Geivett presents a richly developed natural theology drawing on contemporary scientific opinion in support of an ex nihilo creation. Geivett's writing on natural theology is lucid and informed, honestly engaging many of that tradition's critics...This work is notable for its exceptionally thorough documentation and references, making it a valuable sourcebook for reflection on God and evil. A stimulating afterword by Hick himself significantly enriches this book's provocative analyses." --Religious Studies Review "Geivett details a natural theology and develops a way of understanding the existence of evil that places the fact of evil within, rather than in opposition to, a theistic view. Both the natural theology and the theodicy are rich and complex." --Keith E. Yandell, University of Wisconsin "In this interesting and worthwhile work, Geivett's statement of arguments in natural theology is fuller and fairer than that given by Hick in his writings. This book is an outstanding contribution to the field." --Richard L. Purtill, Western Washington University

Product Description
How to reconcile the existence of evil with the belief in a benevolent God has long posed a philosophical problem to the system of Christian theism. John Hick's book, Evil and the Love of God, is perhaps the best known work to redress this difficulty in modern terms. Sharing Hick's interest in responding to the question of evil, R. Douglas Geivett constructs his own new "theodicy for today." But Geivett departs from Hick by embracing the Augustinian tradition of free will and returning the responsibility for evil to human beings themselves.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (September 8, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566393973
• ISBN-13: 978-1566393973
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,537,485 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent text on the problem of evil, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

In this book R. Douglas Geivett attempts to argue for several theses. First, the success or failure of the theodical tradition known as the "augustinian" tradition (which traces its roots to Augustine) has close ties with the success or failure of the project of natural theology. Second, John Hick's theodicy is an example of a different theodical tradition which is known as the "soul making" theodicy (which traces its roots to Irenaeus), and Hick adopts this theodicy because he feels that the augustinian theodicy is incapable of overcome crucial objections against it. Third, Geivett argues that Hick's reasons for rejecting the augustinian theodicy are not adequate. The augustinian theodicy and its related project of natural theology can be successfully defended against Hick's objections. Fourth, Hick's theodicy is fraught with its own set of difficulties from which it cannot successfully recover.

This books is based on Dr. Geivett's PhD dissertation at USC and is a good example of careful historical and philosophical research. By carefully reading this book, one will learn a great deal about both the subject matter of theodicy as well as natural theology (Geivett defends a modern version of the cosmological argument known as the kalam cosmological argument).

A unique feature of this book is that it contains a critical review of itself which is written by John Hick.

A full index makes this book easier to use.