This is a video that displays why evil is necessary. The video assumes that God created the earth, but even if the world came into being some other way, the facts are still relevant. This is a very good example of why we need evil in the world.

Evil (Blog 2)

Evil is all around us. It takes many forms. Many have argued that evil is a direct result of God giving humans free will. Because we have free will, one of the choices is evil. The problem with this argument is that it does not account for all evil in the world. It explains moral evil, “evil or suffering that results from the immoral choices of free creatures” (http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/evil-log.htm#H6), but not natural evil. Why do earthquakes exist at all? Why do floods kill people? Could these natural evils exist for another reason? “God allows or brings about evil as punishment for sin”. (https://www.uvm.edu/~phildept/pereboom/PEFin.pdf) There are many sins that go unpunished and many righteous that are hurt from natural evils. It does not follow then, that punishment is a logical explanation. Pain and suffering are argued to be “ useful warning signals”. (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pain/) Why then doesn’t the pain stop once we have been “warned” and are aware of the problem? Also, what about instances where we do not feel pain? Suppose someone contracts the HIV virus while having sex. They will not feel any pain as the virus infects them. So this argument is not sound. So why do we have evil?

Top 2 Topics (Blog 1)

“God and the Origin of the Universe” is a topic that interests me because I was raised in a very religious home. I was taught that God exists and that is that. Why would anyone question it? It’s a known fact. Well if someone were to ask me right now whether or not I could say with 100% certainty whether or not God exists, the answer would be no. I have a very open mind, and I would like to see what I can learn on this subject through this class. I look forward to reading more on this subject in the weeks that follow.
http://www.doesgodexist.org/ or http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/doesgodexist.htm


“The Problem of Evil” is another topic that interests me, perhaps for a more diabolical reason. There can be no light without darkness, no up without down, and no good without evil. Does it not stand to reason that evil must be, at least at some time and to some degree, necessary? I sometimes find joy in doing “evil” so it would be nice to have the argument that what I am doing could actually help bring about some good. I mean really, who wants to be good all the time? It just gets boring after a while, doesn’t it?
http://imabbb.wordpress.com/2008/01/06/is-evil-necessary-for-good-to-exist/

What Is Philosophy?

I do not know if life can be summed up in any number of words. There are many sayings and many cliches that hold true (life is what you make of it, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, what goes around comes around, do unto others..). But I'm not sure if there is one all-encompassing philosophy. Things are as they are. Is anyone really sure why? There are many theories, many ideas. When it comes down to it, rather than a statement of philosophy, it may be a question. I believe in treating others with respect. I believe in always striving to better yourself. Ultimately, we should all strive to act in a way that will have a positve impact on the world around us.