John Hick's View On Philosophy: The Practice Of Philosophy

The practice of philosophy is the rational and reasonable discussion on the fundamental ideas of society. Philosophy discusses the legitimacy of religion, the ethics of politics, the nature of knowledge itself as well as all dilemmas and beliefs held in society. Philosophy is an age old practice that has had an immeasurable amount of influence on the progression of humanity. Philosophers have created space for questions to be raised, and reasonable and rational discussion to take place. One of the foremost discussions in this practice is the idea of an existence of a supreme all good, all knowing, and all powerful creator. The philosophical discussion on religion and more specifically on the existence of a god hinges on the dilemma of the

Some theodicies prove to be objective and intelligent explanations for the problem of evil, and others are feeble justifications for the intense suffering seen in the natural world. John Hick, a theist philosopher discusses the idea that god has a reason for evil. His essay on the reason for evil discusses the idea the when god created the universe he thought about what being he wanted to create. According to Hick, he wanted to create a being that could freely morally develop rather than creating a world in which humans are already morally perfect. Hick argues that moral and spiritual development that is freely chosen is fundamentally superior to moral perfection that would simply be given to human beings. Hick describes evil’s purpose as to assist human beings in the development of moral perfection. He believes that humanity begins self-centered and selfish, but with development and moral advancement there is the capability of

Rowe is what he characterizes himself as a “friendly” atheist. This type of atheism is defined as individuals who accept the idea that some types of theism are rational and justifiable. He expresses that a rational idea does not have to be true to be rational but simply has to follow logical and reasonable thought processes. Rowe describes theism as having a rational possibility of being true; though, the solutions to the problem of evil contrived and believed by theists are fundamentally not substantial enough for Rowe to consider as accurate or