Episode 33, Yujin Nagasawa and 'The Problem of Evil for Atheists' (Part II)

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Content provided by Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, and Rose de Castellane, Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, and Rose de Castellane. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, and Rose de Castellane, Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, and Rose de Castellane or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

6+ y ago 45:36

M4A•Episode home

Please visit our Patreon page and show your support - www.patreon.com/panpsycast! Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast.

For more Information on Yujin Nagasawa, please visit: www.yujinnagasawa.co.uk. Yujin’s latest book: Yujin Nagasawa, Miracles: A Very Short Introduction - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miracles-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions-ebook/dp/B07663TS81. The paper we are discussing this episode: Yujin Nagasawa, The Problem of Evil for Atheists - https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/6d4b8e_e2fede5338c949e29637ccd5b79b6609.pdf.

Yujin Nagasawa is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, as well as President of the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion and Co-Director of the John Hick Centre for Philosophy of Religion. Obtaining his PhD from the Australian National University in 2004, Nagasawa’s work in philosophy is extensive, focusing on a range of topics from the problems surrounding consciousness to the nature and existence of God. Our focus for Episode 33, is Nagasawa’s ‘The Problem of Evil for Atheists’. The argument can be stated as follows; atheists believe that the world is generally good and they are happy and grateful to exist, i.e. they are existential optimists. However, our entire evolutionary biological system is based upon the painful, miserable suffering of the weak. So, why should we think that the world is overall good and that we should be grateful to exist, if our existence depends on a violent, cruel and unfair biological system which guarantees pain and suffering for unaccountably many sentient animals? Nagasawa argues that the theist is in a better position to answer this question than the atheist, suggesting that the problem of evil provides a good reason to abandon atheism and adopt theism. Part I. ‘The Problem of Evil for Atheists’. Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.

332 episodes