The Problem Of Evil Rhetorical Analysis
Protocol Paper
“The Problem of Evil”
Thesis: The conflict behind the idea of evil is why a perfect God would allow evil to exist on earth.
Summary: James Rachels addresses the conflicts of evil in his book “Problems from Philosophy” by providing various forms of logical problems. The author points out the different possible explanations to why evil would exist. The first major idea Rachels makes is that perhaps pain is essential to caution people of danger. He goes on to suggest that this would not account for why some people are born with deadly diseases. Another idea he makes is that evil helps people appreciate the good in life. One would not be able to distinguish the good in life if evil did not exist. However, this does not explain why the world needs so much evil to exist, instead of letting a few bad things happen occasionally. The third idea the author makes questions why bad things happen to good people. Rachels suggests maybe those bad things that occur in life are …show more content…
Another quote that stood out was where the author stated, “Logically, without the concept of evil, there could be no conception of goodness.” This quote made me realize how much of a balance of bad and good there is in life. “Animals are not sinners, they do not have free will, they do not develop moral character, and they are not going to heaven.” This quote made question the purpose of animals experiencing evil in comparison to humans. I enjoyed the quote that James Rachels mentioned where he stated, “In giving us the power of free choice, however, God had to allow that we might sometimes choose badly.” He worded it in a way that is so clear for readers to
“The Problem of Evil”
Thesis: The conflict behind the idea of evil is why a perfect God would allow evil to exist on earth.
Summary: James Rachels addresses the conflicts of evil in his book “Problems from Philosophy” by providing various forms of logical problems. The author points out the different possible explanations to why evil would exist. The first major idea Rachels makes is that perhaps pain is essential to caution people of danger. He goes on to suggest that this would not account for why some people are born with deadly diseases. Another idea he makes is that evil helps people appreciate the good in life. One would not be able to distinguish the good in life if evil did not exist. However, this does not explain why the world needs so much evil to exist, instead of letting a few bad things happen occasionally. The third idea the author makes questions why bad things happen to good people. Rachels suggests maybe those bad things that occur in life are …show more content…
Another quote that stood out was where the author stated, “Logically, without the concept of evil, there could be no conception of goodness.” This quote made me realize how much of a balance of bad and good there is in life. “Animals are not sinners, they do not have free will, they do not develop moral character, and they are not going to heaven.” This quote made question the purpose of animals experiencing evil in comparison to humans. I enjoyed the quote that James Rachels mentioned where he stated, “In giving us the power of free choice, however, God had to allow that we might sometimes choose badly.” He worded it in a way that is so clear for readers to