Search Results for: god and suffering
God and Suffering: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Introduction to Fyodor Dostoyevsky Argument We Cannot Love Thy Neighbor Dostoyevsky begins the chapter with Ivan responding to Jesus’s command to love one’s neighbor. Ivan argues that it is impossible to unconditionally love one’s neighbor because of the way humans approach suffering. Note how Ivan characterizes humanity. Does he think humans are inherently evil? How does that […]
Finding Meaning in Suffering: Post-Holocaust Theology
Introduction to Post-Holocaust Theology Key Principle God is Hidden Argument Humanity Rejected God Connection The Free Will Defense Argument Free Will In Faith After the Holocaust, Berkovits approaches the inquiry of providing an explanation for why God would permit the Holocaust. He provides a defense based on free will, arguing that God granting humanity free will […]
Choose Your Meaning: Jean-Paul Sartre and James Baldwin
The complete texts of the excerpts used in this essay can be found here: “Existentialism is a Humanism” by Jean-Paul Sartre and “Letter From a Region in My Mind” by James Baldwin. Thought Experiment Myth of Sisyphus Consider the following thought experiment. You have angered the Notre Dame administrative overlords. As punishment, OCS sentences you to roll a massive […]
Alleviate Suffering
What’s your moral code? Starting with this class, we’ll be wrestling with the question of what it takes to live a moral life. According to utilitarians, the key to acting morally is to do whatever will alleviate suffering and promote pleasure in the world. As a result, anything that can feel pain or pleasure deserves your […]
There Is No God
In this session we consider natural a-theology: arguments that no rational person should believe that a god exists. In particular, we will focus on the Problem of Evil. To guide our thinking, we will consider some real world tragedies and the burden that theists have in understanding them. We’ll also consider one of the most […]
Alleviate Suffering
What’s your moral code? Starting with this class, we’ll be wrestling with the question of what it takes to live a moral life. According to utilitarians, the key to acting morally is to do whatever will alleviate suffering and promote pleasure in the world. As a result, anything that can feel pain or pleasure deserves your […]
Meditations: Marcus Aurelius
Introduction Key Principle Rationality The importance of rationality and will is a central tenet of the Meditations. It is our responsibility, then, to act in line with reason. For Marcus, accidents — and all sorts of things we have no control over — will happen in a lifetime, but it’s vital to realize that one’s […]
Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill
Who is John Stuart Mill? John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century, as well as a political economist and a prominant politician. Born in London to a family of intellectuals, Mill was educated by his father, James Mill, who was a philosopher and economist himself. He was a […]
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this letter from the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned for leading nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, The letter was written long-hand, drawing on his extensive knowledge of philosophy and theology. It was his response to a public […]
Why Be Good? Plato
Introduction to Plato Plato, one of the most influential philosophers in Western history, was born in Athens, Greece, around 427 or 428 BCE. He belonged to an aristocratic family and was initially inclined towards a career in politics. However, his encounter with the renowned philosopher Socrates profoundly impacted his life and set him on a […]
Take Responsibility
When making moral decisions, is it better to focus on the particulars of the case (like the names, histories, and motives of individuals involved) or to abstract to broader categories (like how much pleasure or suffering will result)? How important is it to have good intentions rather than to be the cause of the best […]
