Wednesday, October 03, 2012

The Strongest Philosophical Argument Against God's Existence

Woodland Cemetery, Monroe

In my MCCC Philosophy of Religion course we have completed teaching a series of philosophical (non-religious) arguments for God's existence.

In the next section of this course I will teach what many believe is the strongest atheistic-philosophical argument against God's existence; viz., The Argument from Evil Against the Existence of God.

 University of Notre Dame analytic philosopher Peter van Inwagen, in The Problem of Evil, writes: "I am going to discuss the argument from evil, the most important argument for the non-existence of that Being whose existence and attributes are said to be the province of natural theology." (2) Van Inwagen concludes that "the argument from evil is a failure." (Ib.) I'm now reading van Inwagen's deep philosophical text on this argument as a way of continuing education, for my own growth and understanding.