One of the most vexing problems in philosophy and religion is the question of why a loving and all-powerful God would allow evil to exist. The school of thought devoted to addressing this problem is known as Theodicy, a term coined by the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716). As we will see, Leibniz defended the idea that God could be both all-powerful and all-loving. In contrast, the French poet and novelist François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), who wrote under the pen name Voltaire, believed that Leibniz's belief in a benevolent God was absurd. Voltaire's pessimistic outlook on God was influenced by the suffering he witnessed during a devastating earthquake that struck Lisbon, Portugal in 1755.Read "How to Understand Syllogisms."http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-SyllogismsRead "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: The Existence of God."https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibniz/#ExiGodRead Gottfried W. Leibnitz, "Selections from The Theodicy."http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/leib.htmRead "1755: Earthquake Takes Heavy Toll on Lisbon."http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-takes-heavy-toll-on-lisbonRead Voltaire, "Poem on the Lisbon Disaster."https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55316a91e4b06d7c3b435f17/t/553ee5d5e4b037292cdd7e85/1430185429744/Voltaire+-+Poem+on+the+Lisbon+Disaster+%282014%29.pdf
One of the most vexing problems in philosophy and religion is the question of why a loving and all-powerful God would allow evil to exist. The school of thought devoted to addressing this problem is known as Theodicy, a term coined by the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716). As we will see, Leibniz defended the idea that God could be both all-powerful and all-loving. In contrast, the French poet and novelist François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), who wrote under the pen name Voltaire, believed that Leibniz's belief in a benevolent God was absurd. Voltaire's pessimistic outlook on God was influenced by the suffering he witnessed during a devastating earthquake that struck Lisbon, Portugal in 1755. Read "How to Understand Syllogisms." HYPERLINK "http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Syllogisms" http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Syllogisms Read "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: The Existence of God." HYPERLINK "https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibniz/#ExiGod" https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibniz/#ExiGod Read Gottfried W. Leibnitz, "Selections from The Theodicy." HYPERLINK "http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/leib.htm" http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/leib.htm Read "1755: Earthquake Takes Heavy Toll on Lisbon." HYPERLINK "http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-takes-heavy-toll-on-lisbon" http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-takes-heavy-toll-on-lisbon Read Voltaire, "Poem on the Lisbon Disaster." HYPERLINK "https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55316a91e4b06d7c3b435f17/t/553ee5d5e4b037292cdd7e85/1430185429744/Voltaire+-+Poem+on+the+Lisbon+Disaster+%282014%29.pdf" https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55316a91e4b06d7c3b435f17/t/553ee5d5e4b037292cdd7e85/1430185429744/Voltaire+-+Poem+on+the+Lisbon+Disaster+%282014%29.pdf Answer the following questions (one page) 1. How does Leibniz defend God's goodness in light of the suffering in the world? 2. How does Voltaire's view of human...
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