Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
addClaim

Malebranche's Theodicy for Natural Evils

Malebranche's Theodicy for Natural Evils

Abstract

My dissertation examines Malebranche’s theodicy for natural evils (i.e., Malebranche’s reconciliation of the existence of God with the existence of natural evils). In Chapter 1, entitled “The Conceptual Possibility of Natural Evils,” I explain how Malebranche conceives of certain natural things (e.g., pains, deformities/monstrosities, and disasters) as natural evils. Chapter 1 is preliminary: it clarifies Malebranche’s conception of natural evils as certain deviations from the biological forms that agree with the dictates of God’s Reason or wisdom. In Chapter 2, entitled “The Physical Possibility of Natural Evils,” I explain how Malebranche’s God produces natural evils in the physical world. Similar to Chapter 1, Chapter 2 is preliminary: it clarifies the causal involvement of Malebranche’s God in His production of natural evils, and it therefore specifies His activities that are to be reconciled with His absolute perfection. In Chapter 3, entitled “The Theological Possibility of Natural Evils,” I reconstruct Malebranche’s theodicy for natural evils by explaining how Malebranche’s God – who is by definition absolutely perfect – performs the aforespecified activities that result in natural evils. On my reconstruction, Malebranche’s God is determined by His absolute perfection – His Reason or wisdom, more precisely – to bring about natural evils, so natural evils do not pose any threat to His absolute perfection, and, accordingly, the existence of God is reconciled with the existence of natural evils. In light of this examination of Malebranche’s theodicy for natural evils, I make clear Malebranche’s contribution to the early modern development of rationalism: Malebranche articulates the central role of God’s Reason or wisdom in determining the purposes and causal histories of natural things, which amounts to the rationalization of the normative and descriptive dimensions of nature, respectively.

Keywords

Philosophy, FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion

  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    0
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Upload OA version
Are you the author of this publication? Upload your Open Access version to Zenodo!
It’s fast and easy, just two clicks!