Date of Graduation

8-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Philosophy

Advisor/Mentor

Senor, Thomas D.

Committee Member

Lee, Richard

Second Committee Member

Adler, Jacob

Keywords

Calvinism; Defense; Divine glory; Hell; Problem of evil; Virtues

Abstract

Calvinists, because they embrace the view that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, cannot appeal to libertarian free will while trying to defend theism against the problem of evil. However, they can appeal – and, in fact, some have appealed – to God’s desire to be glorified to account for why He has ordained the evils of our world. This is the divine glory defense, and my dissertation aims to develop a version of it. After spending some time framing my defense in the context of the rest of the literature on the problem of evil, an account is provided of what divine glory is. Next, an examination is made of various moral views that will undergird the rest of my dissertation. Then, with the material in the previous chapters in mind, I argue that it is plausible that God, if He exists, will pursue His own glory. Finally, in light of this conclusion, a story is presented in which God, if He exists, ordains the evils that we see in our world.

Download

Share

COinS