The Problem of Evil: Selected Readings (Library of Religious Philosophy)

This book is a nice general introduction to the problem of evil. It is divided into four major parts: (1) classic statements of the problem, (2) versions of the problem of evil, (3) perspectives in theodicy, and (4) issues in the problem of evil. The first section includes excerpts from Hume, the Book of Job, Dostoevsky's _The Brothers Karamazov_, and Elie Wiesel's _Night_. This is a good way to make the seriousness of the problem vivid for those who are unfamiliar with it. The second section clarifies the problem by demonstrating that it can be thought of in (at least) three distinct ways: as a logical problem, an evidential problem, or an existential problem. As in the first section, the articles chosen for this section are quite gripping. Some of the philosophers reprinted in this section are J.L. Mackie, Alvin Plantinga, and Marilyn M. Adams. The third section introduces three main approaches to solving the problem: Augustinian theodicy, Irenaean theodicy, and process theodicy. This is a tidy way to organize many attempts to solve the problem. Some of the philosophers reprinted in this section are Augustine, John Hick, and Lewis Ford. The final section is a bit of a catch-all, but it seems necessary. Here we find articles directly addressing such issues as natural evil and whether it is necessary for God to have created the best possible world. Some of the philosophers reprinted in this section are Robert Adams, Richard Swinburne, and Eleonore Stump. The main strengths of this book are (1) it includes a great deal of motivation for the problem of evil - enough to inspire real concern; (2) the articles selected are fairly well balanced between attempts to solve the problem and rejections of such attempts; and (3) it has sufficient breadth to help the newcomer understand (and categorize) any further reading he does on this subject. I highly recommend it as an introductory text for a class on the problem of evil - perhaps supplemented by some additional journal articles that are more up-to-date. I think it is also a good first book for those who are generally concerned about the problem of evil.