ipl-logo

Proving The Success Of Nelson Pike's Argument

1624 Words7 Pages

Timuray Gokdemir (191761510)
Dr. Tyler Wunder
PP 350R, A
6 March 2023

The Problem of Evil: Proving the Success of Nelson Pike’s Argument
In this essay, I will first explore the works of David Hume's Dialogues, specifically Parts X, where the problem of evil raises thorny questions about how God's attributes relate to the reality of suffering and focuses on the venerable problem of evil for theism. Second, I will provide an account of Nelson Pike’s ideas through his essay "Hume on Evil" where he offers a thoughtful critique of the arguments presented by Hume. Finally, I will provide a critical assessment that will show that Nelson Pike’s arguments against Hume’s proposed problem that evil poses for belief in a deity with infinite attributes …show more content…

As mentioned Pike’s argument against Hume begins by organizing Philo’s argument in a manner that can be analyzed in a logical manner. Philo’s argument is essentially split into three statements as follows: “(1) The world contains instances of suffering. (2) God exists-and is omnipotent and omniscient. (3) God exists-and is perfectly good” (Pike 182). As mentioned by Pike, Philo seems to have successfully created an instance of an inconsistent triad, meaning that any combination of the two statements can be true, but the discluded statement must be false (Pike 182). Given the complex logical conflict between the possibilities of which statement is to be considered false, one might be inclined to argue in favour of Philo’s argument. Recognizing this seemingly win-win situation that Philo has created for his argument, Pike attempts to attack the ideology of the choices within the triad by offering a relatable hypothetical that aims to discredit proposed aspects included within the statements of the inconsistent triad proposed by

Open Document