God and the Problem of Evil

God and the Problem of Evil considers the question of whether the amount of seemingly pointless malice and suffering in our world counts against the rationality of belief in God, a being who is understood to be all–powerful, all–knowing, and perfectly good. Beginning with historically significant essays by Leibniz and Hume, the book then focuses on contemporary discussions of the problem of evil. The volume concludes with three important articles that sketch an explanation of why God might need to permit the terrible evils that abound in our world. The study of these essays and replies will provide students with a thorough understanding of the central issues involved in the problem of evil.

Contributors. Preface. Acknowledgments. PART I. HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT ESSAYS AND CONTEMPORARY RESPONSES. 1. Theodicy (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz). 2. Must God Create the Best (Robert Merrihew Adams). 3. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (David Hume). 4. Hume on Evil (Nelson Pike). PART II. THE LOGICAL PROBLEM OF EVIL. 5. Evil and Omnipotence (J. L. Mackie). 6. The Free Will Defense (Alvin Plantinga). PART III. THE EVIDENTIAL PROBLEM OF EVIL. 7. An Exchange on the Problem of Evil (Daniel Howard–Snyder, Michael Bergmann and William L. Rowe). 8. Stalemate and Strategy: Rethinking the Evidential Argument from Evil (J. L. Schellenberg). 9. Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists (Paul Draper). 10. The Problem of Evil, the Problem of Air, and the Problem of Silence (Peter van Inwagen). PART IV. THEOFICIES . 11. Some Major Strands of Theodicy (Richard Swinburne). 12. Soul–Making Theodicy (John Hick). 13. The Problem of Hell: A Problem of Evil for Christians (Marilyn McCord Adams). Index.

William L. Rowe is Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University. He is the author of The Cosmological Argument (1998), Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction (third edition, 2001), and co–editor of Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings (third edition, 1999). He has served on the Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association and was elected President of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association for 1986–87.

" God and the Problem of Evil is the best anthology on this important topic on the market. Highly recommended for classroom adoption." Bill Wainwright, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee "This is a splendid and unique collection. It contains both explicit and implicit dialogue. It is beautifully balanced between atheistic and theistic perspectives. And for its size it is remarkably comprehensive, covering both logical and evidential problems and both theodicies and defenses. Paul Draper, Florida International University