The Problem of Evil: A Study of Alvin Plantinga's Free Will Defense
Author
Abstract
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL: A STUDY OF ALVIN PLANTINGA’S FREE WILL DEFENSE Alfiyya Zahra Asso 432022223018 The problem of evil is a classic issue in the philosophy of religion that has long been a subject of reflection among philosophers. This problem arises from the tension between the existence of a God, who is Omnibenevolent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent, and the reality of evil and suffering in the world. On the one hand, the problem of evil is often used as an argumentative foundation by atheists to reject the existence of God, because the existence of evil is incompatible with these divine attributes. On the other hand, there have been philosophical and theological attempts to explain the harmony between the existence of God and the reality of evil, one of which is through the concept of free will, known as the Free Will Defense, proposed by contemporary philosopher of religion, Alvin Plantinga. This study aims to examine and analyze Alvin Plantinga's Free Will Defense in responding to the problem of evil, as well as to assess the extent to which this concept can provide an adequate answer to this problem. The main focus of this study is to evaluate the strengths and limitations of Free Will Defense in addressing various forms of argumentation concerning the problem of evil. This research employs a qualitative method with a library research approach. The Primary data sources consist of Alvin Plantinga’s works, which specifically discuss the problem of evil and Free Will Defense, in contras the secondary data sources consist of works that discuss the problem of evil and critiques of the Free Will Defense. The method used is descriptive-analytical, aiming to describe the concepts and to analyze the arguments developed from various perspectives. The results of this study indicate that the concept of Free Will Defense successfully addresses the problem of evil in the form of a logical problem, namely that the existence of God and evil is logically contradictory. However, this concept does not fully provide a satisfactory answer to the problem of natural evil and the evidential problem of evil. Although scholars have accepted the Free Will Defense, this concept continues to attract criticism and rejection from others. Based on this research, it can be concluded that the existence of evil is not logically contradictory to the existence of God, who is Omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent. However, the discussion of the problem of evil does not stop at rational and argumentative considerations, but also requires a foundation of faith in metaphysical realities.