Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T01:07:01.624Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Sceptical theism and a lying God: Wielenberg's argument defended and developed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2014

STEPHEN LAW*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Heythrop College, University of London, Kensington Square, London W5 8HX, UK e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Sceptical theists attempt to block the evidential argument from evil by arguing that a key premise of that argument – that gratuitous evil exists – cannot reasonably be maintained. They argue that, for all we know, our knowledge of reasons God may have to permit such evil is radically incomplete. Thus the fact that we cannot identify reasons for God to permit the evil we observe does not allow us reasonably to conclude that no such reasons exist. In response, Erik Wielenberg has pointed out what appears to be, for many sceptical theists, an unfortunate further consequence of their position. According to Wielenberg, if sceptical theism is correct, then, similarly, the fact that we cannot identify reasons why God would lie to us does not allow us reasonably to conclude no such reasons exist. But then, for all we know, God's word constitutes not a divine revelation but a divine lie. This article examines sceptical theist responses to Wielenberg's argument to date (from Segal, and McBrayer and Swenson) and develops two new Wielenberg-style arguments for the same conclusion.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beaudoin, John (2005) ‘Skepticism and the skeptical theist’, Faith and Philosophy, 22, 4256.Google Scholar
Bergmann, Michael (2001) ‘Sceptical theism and Rowe's new evidential argument from evil’, Nous, 35, 278296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergmann, Michael (2009) ‘Skeptical theism and the problem of evil’, in Flint, Thomas & Rea, Michael (eds) Oxford Handbook to Philosophical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 374399.Google Scholar
Fales, Evan (2002) ‘Darwin's doubt, Calvin's calvary’, in Beilby, James (ed.) Naturalism Defeated? (Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press, 2002), 5556.Google Scholar
Gale, Richard (1996) ‘Some difficulties in theistic treatments of evil’, in Howard-Snyder, Daniel (ed.) The Evidential Argument from Evil (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1996), 206218.Google Scholar
McBrayer, Justin (2010) ‘Skeptical theism’, Philosophy Compass, 5, 611623.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McBrayer, Justin (2012) ‘Are skeptical theists really skeptics? Sometimes yes and sometimes no’, International Journal of the Philosophy of Religion, 72, 316.Google Scholar
McBrayer, Justin & Swenson, Philip (2012) ‘Scepticism and the argument from divine hiddenness’, Religious Studies, 48, 129150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plantinga, Alvin (1986) ‘The foundations of theism: a reply’, Faith and Philosophy, 3, 310312.Google Scholar
Rowe, William (1979) ‘The problem of evil and some varieties of atheism’, American Philosophical Quarterly, 16, 335341.Google Scholar
Rowe, William (1988) ‘Evil and theodicy’, Philosophical Topics, 16, 119132.Google Scholar
Rowe, William (1991) ‘Ruminations about evil’, Philosophical Perspectives, 5, 6988.Google Scholar
Segal, Aaron (2011) ‘Sceptical theism and divine truths’, Religious Studies, 47, 8595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wielenberg, Erik (2010) ‘Sceptical theism and divine lies’, Religious Studies, 46, 509523.Google Scholar
Wykstra, Stephen (1996) ‘Rowe's noseeum arguments from evil’, in Howard-Snyder, Daniel (ed.) The Evidential Argument from Evil (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1996), 126150.Google Scholar