Poston's Paper on Social Evil
Ted Poston won the 2011 Younger Scholar's Prize for Philosophy of Religion for his fantastic paper, "Social Evil". Here's the abstract:
Social evil is any pain or suffering brought about by game-theoretic interactions of
many individuals. This paper introduces and discusses the problem of social evil. I begin by
focusing on social evil brought about by game-theoretic interactions of rational moral
individuals. The problem social evil poses for theism is distinct from problems posed by natural
and moral evils. Social evil is not a natural evil because it is brought about by the choices of
individuals. But social evil is not a form of moral evil because each individual actor does not
misuse his free will. Traditional defenses for natural and moral evil fall short in addressing the
problem of social evil. The final section of this paper discusses social evil and virtue. I argue
that social evil can arise even where virtue is lacking. Further, I explore the possibility of an
Edwardsian defense of social evil that stresses the high demands of true virtue. The conclusion
of this paper is that social evil is problematic and provides new ground for exploring the
conceptual resources of theism.
Social evil is any pain or suffering brought about by game-theoretic interactions of
many individuals. This paper introduces and discusses the problem of social evil. I begin by
focusing on social evil brought about by game-theoretic interactions of rational moral
individuals. The problem social evil poses for theism is distinct from problems posed by natural
and moral evils. Social evil is not a natural evil because it is brought about by the choices of
individuals. But social evil is not a form of moral evil because each individual actor does not
misuse his free will. Traditional defenses for natural and moral evil fall short in addressing the
problem of social evil. The final section of this paper discusses social evil and virtue. I argue
that social evil can arise even where virtue is lacking. Further, I explore the possibility of an
Edwardsian defense of social evil that stresses the high demands of true virtue. The conclusion
of this paper is that social evil is problematic and provides new ground for exploring the
conceptual resources of theism.
Conference Reminder: Challenges to Religious Belief: Disagreement and Evolution
A Dilemma for Skeptical Theism
Benjamin T. Rancourt. "Egoism or the Problem of Evil: A Dilemma for Skeptical Theism", Religious Studies (First View article, August 2012, pp. 1-13.).
If a copy were to find its way to me, I wouldn't mind in the least...
Update: Thanks!
Update: Thanks!
Review of Davison's On the Intrinsic Value of Everything
Toni Rønnow-Rasmussen (Lund University, Sweden) reviews the book for NDPR.
It's also worth noting that Davison has a new SEP entry on petitionary prayer.
Please Support Alexander Aan
Please consider signing the petition linked to here. Below is the petition message:
Earlier this year, Indonesian civil servant Alexander Aan posted on Facebook that he doubted the existence of God. He was then attacked and beaten by an angry mob, and arrested for blasphemy.
On June 14, Aan was convicted of “disseminating information aimed at inciting religious hatred or hostility,” sentenced to 30 months in prison, and saddled with a large fine. Now many Indonesians are calling for his death.By punishing Aan, Indonesia is violating its obligations to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees every person the rights to freedom of belief and expression. We petition the Obama administration to call upon the Indonesian government to immediately release Alexander Aan and improve its protections for religious dissidents and nonbelievers.
A New Defense of PSR Against the Charge of Necessitarianism
Lin, Martin. "Rationalism and Necessitarianism", Nous 46:3 (2012), 418-448.
If someone were to send me a copy, I wouldn't mind in the least.
Update: Thanks! (You know who you are.)
If someone were to send me a copy, I wouldn't mind in the least.
Update: Thanks! (You know who you are.)
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