Problem Of Evil Research Paper
What kind of problem is the Problem of Evil for a non-believer?
Word Count: 2,430
Believer or non-believer, we all appear to suffer from the problem of evil. Perhaps in the highly economically and technologically developed countries we live in now we are faced, on a day to day basis, with far less evil, than those 90 years ago on their way to fight in WW1. But there is always a presence of evil. Although it may not be first degree, we see it in the news on a daily basis. Natural, Moral and Metaphysical evil will affect all of us in our lifetime, whether it be a natural disaster, violence or are eventual death, these three different types of evils will be discussed in further detail later in the essay. The problem of evil only seems to affect …show more content…
believers, because it questions the existence of God. Atheists do not believe in God so the problem of evil should not be a concern. The purpose of this essay is to discover if there really is a problem of evil for atheists and what kind of problem that is. Firstly this essay will look at trying to describe evil from both a believers and non-believers point of view, then it will look at believers and how the problem of evil for them may be less of a problem than for the non-believer. Then the essay will look at how a non-believer without the guidance of laws commanded by a higher power, can have a sensible moral compass and lastly the essay will explore whether or not we can even know what evil is, making the problem of evil insignificant for the non-believer.
What Is Evil For A Non-Believer?
Firstly the definition of a non-believer is someone who denies the existence of God, they will also be referred to as atheists. It is very hard to deny that evil exists when there is so much in our world. If a non-believer lives in a godless world, how do they explain evil? The answer for many is it’s a human problem. Hobbes believed that humans were in essence selfish creatures who would do anything to better their own position.i Left to themselves, he thought people would “act on their evil impulses.”ii According to Hobbes, people therefore should not be trusted to make decisions on their own. Hobbes theory on evil impulses brings to light an important question. Does religion stop us being left to ourselves and does it suppress our evil impulses? This will be discussed later in the essay. But at the same time, while Hobbes says that we are selfish, because we are selfish we also carry out kind acts for others, so that we appear to do good in front of others. Evil for many is a human construction, evil is present in the world because at heart we our selfish, self-preserving creatures. John Cassian in his eight principle faults states greed as the root evil, as human beings we find it very difficult to say enough is enough, and we always compare ourselves with others.iii Greed is where most wars stem from, the acquisition of more land, the belief that your religion is right among all others, the knowledge that someone has more than you. The root of all evil is from us, from our ability to feel greed. An example of how evil is a human construction is that it changes. One example is slavery, which is recognized by most today as an evil act. Slavery in America lasted for the better part of 300 years, but nobody questioned it during this time. Instead of asking the question, should slavery be abolished, many asked how should slaves be kept, with no regard for their well-being. Even “Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence that all men are equal,” owned slaves.iv Today we all see what is wrong with slavery, but who is to say that what we see as to be right in our modern age, may be deemed an evil act in 150 years time? Our perception of evil is ever changing and the difference between what is evil and what is not can very fine. Evil is subjective, what may be evil for one person, may just be a way of life for another. We created the definition of evil and so therefore the definition is flexible. Our understanding of what evil is has to do with our education, the society we live in, our upbringing, mental state and more importantly religion. Evil is not an entity, our conciseness perceives events as either good or evil. The problem for non-believers is how to explain the problem of evil, if they do not have a higher power or original sin to blame. Jonathan Glover, a moral philosopher tried to explain how U.S soldiers in Vietnam attacked an unarmed village called My Lai during the Vietnam War.v He gave a number of reasons for why soldiers attacked, raped, and killed a village of 400 innocent people. His first reason was “us and them”,vi dehumanising the enemy to the extent to which the people you are killing are not human but sub-human, turning people into epistemic objects. For somebody to be so violent towards another human beings is unnatural, but by de-humanising the victim, it makes it easier for the attacker to carry out the act. Terrorist use this form of distinction when carrying out attacks. The second reason is “social cohesion.”vii In the army soldiers are trained to conform and to accept orders and to not question. When in My Lai soldiers saw their friends and officers carrying out the attack, they must have felt pressured into acting the same way and joined in. The third reason is normality/having no moral framework, when walking through London, you are reminded, (to a certain extent) of your morals. The soldiers involved in My Lai, were out in the jungle in Vietnam, with no moral reference, had it been on US soil, perhaps they would never have committed these crimes. The last reason is “erosion”,viii which is the most important of all. The experience of war can erode our morals. Seeing so much hatred, evil and intentional harm, can have damaging effects on people’s perceptions of right and wrong. The soldiers in My Lai were fighting the erosion of their moral compass but because of the circumstances they were under they ended up committing a terrible act. Jonathan Glover’s approach on why people commit evil acts, without blaming it on God, is very humanistic. What he proposes is that evil does exist, but that people are not entirely to blame, that the situation is just as important as the person committing the act. Evil occurs due to the circumstances just as it occurs due to the person.
Non-Believers vs Believers
The problem of evil for a believer stems from God being omniscient, omnipotent, Omnipresent. If God is all of these then why did he create a world in which evil has a defining presence? Either God is not all of the above, which in turn contradicts the very meaning of God, or perhaps as Nietzsche said, “God is dead,”ix and left evil as a reminder that he is no longer alive. The answer for atheists to the problem of evil concludes that God and evil cannot exist together and since we can see evil around us the former must not exist. But believers don’t let this deter their faith. Believers know that any evil done on to them in this life will be forgotten in the eternal bliss of heaven, probably unaware that evil ever existed. It is comforting and makes seeing evil acts somewhat easier to bear, knowing that those who suffer will one day exist in goodness for eternity. Likewise it seems fair and just that those who do evil will be punished for eternity. But for atheist’s heaven and eternal goodness are not a reality and this life on earth is the only true existence. This is a problem for a lot of atheists. If you are affected by evil, you feel that you are owed something for being put through such a seemingly unjust, horrible experience. Religion seems to make sense of evil, and almost makes it more bearable. For a non-believer evil is just something that many are unlucky enough to suffer from. The problem of natural evil, such as earthquakes and tsunamis is one of the hardest evils to justify for believers. If God has such power then why would he allow these terrible disasters to occur? Believers find it very difficult to justify natural evil, but for atheists there is no need to analyse why an earthquake is evil other than to explain the way in which the huge tectonic plate’s shift. For atheists an earthquake is a result of a natural process that cannot be blamed on anybody or anything, other than unfortunate timing. But moral evil is a much larger problem, other human beings actively seeking evil, when they could apparently so easily avoid it, is more difficult for atheists to explain.
Problems For The Non-Believer
If there is no God to blame for the presence of evil in the world, the problem of evil for an atheist becomes a human one.
That people knowingly and willingly commit evil acts. For non-believers the problem of evil presents a social, ethical and moral problem. If we accept that evil is a part of the human condition, and arises out of greed and self, to what extent should we value another person who has the capacity for such extreme evils. It becomes a large concern for atheists because how do they know others will not act out on them in an evil manor. If there is no God and our actions in this life have no consequence, then what need is there to act good and avoid evil. If people believe that there actions have no consequence they may feel free to roam around doing whatever they please, disregarding others well being. The problem for atheists is that without religion the problem of evil would be far worse. Religion plays an important role in controlling society and controlling our actions. For the non-believer trying to distinguish between evil and good is difficult if a list of rules have not been imposed by your religion. But even for none-believers there is a still a set of laws that deter them from committing evil acts. The Judicial system imposes lengthy prison time for what the country deems as an evil act. But even the judicial system takes a lot of its laws from religion. If religion did not exist society would not be as morally good as it is now, the judicial system that is a creation of a developed society would not be the same, our perception of evil and good would also be different. Earlier we explained that Hobbes thought we were all selfish creatures, only trying to better our position.x Without religion what would stop are evil impulses from being the dominant choice. Religion is not just as Marx said, “the opium of the masses”,xi but it is also the suppression of the masses. it commands people to act in a good way for fear of eternal damnation. The
problem for atheist’s is that without religion our society would probably not be as morally structured as it is now. Regardless of whether God exists, the impact it has on people choices in terms of good and evil is extremely significant. Religion seems to prevent many of us acting in this way.
Without Religion Can We Know That Evil Even Exists?
Without Religion, it seems very difficult to know what is evil and good. Thomas Hobbes says, "To this war of every man against every man, this also in consequent; that nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice have there no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice.”xii Hobbes seemed to think that there were no notions of right and wrong when every man is against another. But through natural law, by analyzing human nature many believe we can deduce rules for moral behaviours and thus on some grounds know what is evil and good. One example is justifying torture as an evil act. Almost every sane human being avoids suffering. No person enjoys being tortured. So what we can deduce from natural law is that torture is against our nature and is therefore an evil act. But even this has its problems. Although it may be against our nature to act in a certain way, that still does not justify it as evil, it just conflicts what we perceive as our nature. Many atheists believe that there is no problem with the problem of evil, because evil doesn’t exist. Evil is not something that can be measured on a scale, everybody’s perception of evil is different. However much we feel we know something is right or something is wrong, our view is decided for us because it stems from circumstances that are beyond our control. Such examples are our up bringing, the dominant religion in our society, genetic make up, education, preferences and an unimaginable number of other influences.
Conclusion
The meaning of evil is different for every person on this planet, it is completely individual. Evil is a problem for all, believer or non-believer. We will all have to deal with some degree of evil. We are consciously aware to perceive and feel evil done on to us. Because we have the ability to feel emotion and attachment, we suffer from evil. Religion makes evil easier to deal with but it is still a problem from which they suffer. Because we are selfish and greedy we inadvertently commit evil acts, but this is not entirely our fault. As Jonathan Glover said, it is in part down to the situation.xiii But as well as the situation it is to do with up-bringing, values, education, culture, psychological stability, even one unpredictable event can spur someone to unimaginable evil. Evil is a human creation and a humanistic problem because of our ability to feel and evaluate the world around us as conscious, intelligent beings. It is a social problem because it us undesirable, nobody wants to be subjected to evil. Evil is a problem, but not a problem that can be solved. It is a human creation that we will endure for as long as we are consciously and emotionally aware.
Word Count: 2,430
Believer or non-believer, we all appear to suffer from the problem of evil. Perhaps in the highly economically and technologically developed countries we live in now we are faced, on a day to day basis, with far less evil, than those 90 years ago on their way to fight in WW1. But there is always a presence of evil. Although it may not be first degree, we see it in the news on a daily basis. Natural, Moral and Metaphysical evil will affect all of us in our lifetime, whether it be a natural disaster, violence or are eventual death, these three different types of evils will be discussed in further detail later in the essay. The problem of evil only seems to affect …show more content…
believers, because it questions the existence of God. Atheists do not believe in God so the problem of evil should not be a concern. The purpose of this essay is to discover if there really is a problem of evil for atheists and what kind of problem that is. Firstly this essay will look at trying to describe evil from both a believers and non-believers point of view, then it will look at believers and how the problem of evil for them may be less of a problem than for the non-believer. Then the essay will look at how a non-believer without the guidance of laws commanded by a higher power, can have a sensible moral compass and lastly the essay will explore whether or not we can even know what evil is, making the problem of evil insignificant for the non-believer.
What Is Evil For A Non-Believer?
Firstly the definition of a non-believer is someone who denies the existence of God, they will also be referred to as atheists. It is very hard to deny that evil exists when there is so much in our world. If a non-believer lives in a godless world, how do they explain evil? The answer for many is it’s a human problem. Hobbes believed that humans were in essence selfish creatures who would do anything to better their own position.i Left to themselves, he thought people would “act on their evil impulses.”ii According to Hobbes, people therefore should not be trusted to make decisions on their own. Hobbes theory on evil impulses brings to light an important question. Does religion stop us being left to ourselves and does it suppress our evil impulses? This will be discussed later in the essay. But at the same time, while Hobbes says that we are selfish, because we are selfish we also carry out kind acts for others, so that we appear to do good in front of others. Evil for many is a human construction, evil is present in the world because at heart we our selfish, self-preserving creatures. John Cassian in his eight principle faults states greed as the root evil, as human beings we find it very difficult to say enough is enough, and we always compare ourselves with others.iii Greed is where most wars stem from, the acquisition of more land, the belief that your religion is right among all others, the knowledge that someone has more than you. The root of all evil is from us, from our ability to feel greed. An example of how evil is a human construction is that it changes. One example is slavery, which is recognized by most today as an evil act. Slavery in America lasted for the better part of 300 years, but nobody questioned it during this time. Instead of asking the question, should slavery be abolished, many asked how should slaves be kept, with no regard for their well-being. Even “Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence that all men are equal,” owned slaves.iv Today we all see what is wrong with slavery, but who is to say that what we see as to be right in our modern age, may be deemed an evil act in 150 years time? Our perception of evil is ever changing and the difference between what is evil and what is not can very fine. Evil is subjective, what may be evil for one person, may just be a way of life for another. We created the definition of evil and so therefore the definition is flexible. Our understanding of what evil is has to do with our education, the society we live in, our upbringing, mental state and more importantly religion. Evil is not an entity, our conciseness perceives events as either good or evil. The problem for non-believers is how to explain the problem of evil, if they do not have a higher power or original sin to blame. Jonathan Glover, a moral philosopher tried to explain how U.S soldiers in Vietnam attacked an unarmed village called My Lai during the Vietnam War.v He gave a number of reasons for why soldiers attacked, raped, and killed a village of 400 innocent people. His first reason was “us and them”,vi dehumanising the enemy to the extent to which the people you are killing are not human but sub-human, turning people into epistemic objects. For somebody to be so violent towards another human beings is unnatural, but by de-humanising the victim, it makes it easier for the attacker to carry out the act. Terrorist use this form of distinction when carrying out attacks. The second reason is “social cohesion.”vii In the army soldiers are trained to conform and to accept orders and to not question. When in My Lai soldiers saw their friends and officers carrying out the attack, they must have felt pressured into acting the same way and joined in. The third reason is normality/having no moral framework, when walking through London, you are reminded, (to a certain extent) of your morals. The soldiers involved in My Lai, were out in the jungle in Vietnam, with no moral reference, had it been on US soil, perhaps they would never have committed these crimes. The last reason is “erosion”,viii which is the most important of all. The experience of war can erode our morals. Seeing so much hatred, evil and intentional harm, can have damaging effects on people’s perceptions of right and wrong. The soldiers in My Lai were fighting the erosion of their moral compass but because of the circumstances they were under they ended up committing a terrible act. Jonathan Glover’s approach on why people commit evil acts, without blaming it on God, is very humanistic. What he proposes is that evil does exist, but that people are not entirely to blame, that the situation is just as important as the person committing the act. Evil occurs due to the circumstances just as it occurs due to the person.
Non-Believers vs Believers
The problem of evil for a believer stems from God being omniscient, omnipotent, Omnipresent. If God is all of these then why did he create a world in which evil has a defining presence? Either God is not all of the above, which in turn contradicts the very meaning of God, or perhaps as Nietzsche said, “God is dead,”ix and left evil as a reminder that he is no longer alive. The answer for atheists to the problem of evil concludes that God and evil cannot exist together and since we can see evil around us the former must not exist. But believers don’t let this deter their faith. Believers know that any evil done on to them in this life will be forgotten in the eternal bliss of heaven, probably unaware that evil ever existed. It is comforting and makes seeing evil acts somewhat easier to bear, knowing that those who suffer will one day exist in goodness for eternity. Likewise it seems fair and just that those who do evil will be punished for eternity. But for atheist’s heaven and eternal goodness are not a reality and this life on earth is the only true existence. This is a problem for a lot of atheists. If you are affected by evil, you feel that you are owed something for being put through such a seemingly unjust, horrible experience. Religion seems to make sense of evil, and almost makes it more bearable. For a non-believer evil is just something that many are unlucky enough to suffer from. The problem of natural evil, such as earthquakes and tsunamis is one of the hardest evils to justify for believers. If God has such power then why would he allow these terrible disasters to occur? Believers find it very difficult to justify natural evil, but for atheists there is no need to analyse why an earthquake is evil other than to explain the way in which the huge tectonic plate’s shift. For atheists an earthquake is a result of a natural process that cannot be blamed on anybody or anything, other than unfortunate timing. But moral evil is a much larger problem, other human beings actively seeking evil, when they could apparently so easily avoid it, is more difficult for atheists to explain.
Problems For The Non-Believer
If there is no God to blame for the presence of evil in the world, the problem of evil for an atheist becomes a human one.
That people knowingly and willingly commit evil acts. For non-believers the problem of evil presents a social, ethical and moral problem. If we accept that evil is a part of the human condition, and arises out of greed and self, to what extent should we value another person who has the capacity for such extreme evils. It becomes a large concern for atheists because how do they know others will not act out on them in an evil manor. If there is no God and our actions in this life have no consequence, then what need is there to act good and avoid evil. If people believe that there actions have no consequence they may feel free to roam around doing whatever they please, disregarding others well being. The problem for atheists is that without religion the problem of evil would be far worse. Religion plays an important role in controlling society and controlling our actions. For the non-believer trying to distinguish between evil and good is difficult if a list of rules have not been imposed by your religion. But even for none-believers there is a still a set of laws that deter them from committing evil acts. The Judicial system imposes lengthy prison time for what the country deems as an evil act. But even the judicial system takes a lot of its laws from religion. If religion did not exist society would not be as morally good as it is now, the judicial system that is a creation of a developed society would not be the same, our perception of evil and good would also be different. Earlier we explained that Hobbes thought we were all selfish creatures, only trying to better our position.x Without religion what would stop are evil impulses from being the dominant choice. Religion is not just as Marx said, “the opium of the masses”,xi but it is also the suppression of the masses. it commands people to act in a good way for fear of eternal damnation. The
problem for atheist’s is that without religion our society would probably not be as morally structured as it is now. Regardless of whether God exists, the impact it has on people choices in terms of good and evil is extremely significant. Religion seems to prevent many of us acting in this way.
Without Religion Can We Know That Evil Even Exists?
Without Religion, it seems very difficult to know what is evil and good. Thomas Hobbes says, "To this war of every man against every man, this also in consequent; that nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice have there no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice.”xii Hobbes seemed to think that there were no notions of right and wrong when every man is against another. But through natural law, by analyzing human nature many believe we can deduce rules for moral behaviours and thus on some grounds know what is evil and good. One example is justifying torture as an evil act. Almost every sane human being avoids suffering. No person enjoys being tortured. So what we can deduce from natural law is that torture is against our nature and is therefore an evil act. But even this has its problems. Although it may be against our nature to act in a certain way, that still does not justify it as evil, it just conflicts what we perceive as our nature. Many atheists believe that there is no problem with the problem of evil, because evil doesn’t exist. Evil is not something that can be measured on a scale, everybody’s perception of evil is different. However much we feel we know something is right or something is wrong, our view is decided for us because it stems from circumstances that are beyond our control. Such examples are our up bringing, the dominant religion in our society, genetic make up, education, preferences and an unimaginable number of other influences.
Conclusion
The meaning of evil is different for every person on this planet, it is completely individual. Evil is a problem for all, believer or non-believer. We will all have to deal with some degree of evil. We are consciously aware to perceive and feel evil done on to us. Because we have the ability to feel emotion and attachment, we suffer from evil. Religion makes evil easier to deal with but it is still a problem from which they suffer. Because we are selfish and greedy we inadvertently commit evil acts, but this is not entirely our fault. As Jonathan Glover said, it is in part down to the situation.xiii But as well as the situation it is to do with up-bringing, values, education, culture, psychological stability, even one unpredictable event can spur someone to unimaginable evil. Evil is a human creation and a humanistic problem because of our ability to feel and evaluate the world around us as conscious, intelligent beings. It is a social problem because it us undesirable, nobody wants to be subjected to evil. Evil is a problem, but not a problem that can be solved. It is a human creation that we will endure for as long as we are consciously and emotionally aware.