3 posts tagged “problem”

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The Problem of Evil

Jun 23, 2009
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I've been reading Robert Solomon's The Joy of Philosophy for the past two weeks. In this book, he discusses a multitude of topics, ranging from the too-analytic nature of contemporary philosophy to rationality and the emotions. I've entered the chapter in which he discuss tragedy. Naturally, the problem of evil comes up. To me, he has an interesting take on the so-called "problem", yet a practical one. I like it.

Contrary to the way it is usually framed, I want to suggest that the Problem of Evil has little to do with belief in the existence of God or in an afterlife. Camus was an atheist, and yet it was the Problem of Evil, the presence of human suffering, that violated his innate sense of justice and fairness, that evoked his dramatic concept of "the Absurd." Nietzsche was also an atheist ("by instinct," he tells us in Ecce Homo), but it is neither God nor Heaven as such that draws his heaviest fire. It is rather the cheap and petty use of theology to deny or rationalize suffering rather than face up to it and, like the ancient Greeks he adored, make something of it--if not something beautiful, then at least something meaningful. To challenge the Problem of Evil, we must, rather, remind ourselves of the contingency of our good fortune and how unreasonable we are to deny the inevitability of misfortune and the finitude of our lives. As Bernard Williams writes, "There is a problem of evil only for those who expect the world to be good." We thus call into question those abuses of God and the idea of an afterlife that block our deepest emotional responses by assuring us, against all evidence, that our suffering is well worthwhile.

Love & Payment

May 7, 2009
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The principle of "Christian love": it insists upon being well paid...

-Friedrich Nietzsche

So I'm rewatching the Solomon lectures on Nietzsche's philosophy that I bought almost a year ago. After reading a couple of Nietzsche's books, the lectures are making a lot more sense this time around. Anyway, at one point in the second lecture, Kathleen Higgins (Solomon's wife) says the above quote. Interesting isn't it?

Lately I've been thinking about one's motives behind love. Do we love and help people because we are seeking payment or because we genuinely wish to love and help someone? More specifically, do Christians love because they want to receive payment in this life and/or the next? Maybe their love isn't as "selfless" as they might think.

It is a common belief that if one obeys God and his commandments, then one will be received in his kingdom. This make sense, especially if sin is defined as disobedience towards God. So, basically, it is in the Christian's best interest to follow God and his commandments. Check. One of Jesus' main commandments is love your neighbor as yourself. Fair enough, good commandment. Check. It is also a common belief that Christian love is supposed to expect nothing in return. Check. See the potential problem? Love that is supposed to not expect anything in return suddenly becomes a love that wants to be rewarded because it is in your best interest to obey God's commandment so that you will get rewarded. Thus, you only love because God commands it, and because of your obedience, you expect to be rewarded.

Undoubtedly, as lightandstorm told me today in a conversation, Christians try to prevent this from happening, though they are still tempted to love in this way. This is a main reason why it is written that thieves and tax collectors (probably go by other names in the Bible) will enter the kingdom before "good" people do. In other words, if you think you are a "good" person because of your works, your motives aren't in the right place. As a Christian, you shouldn't love in order to get a seat in the sky--a reward. Question is, how many Christians love because they are simply expecting a reward? Evidently, Nietzsche was surrounded by such love.

More importantly, though, how many of us (all of humanity regardless of creed) love in order to receive a reward? There is virtue in loving unconditionally and helping people selfless, I'm just wondering how many of us actually do.

The Intellectual's Problem

Mar 7, 2009
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Intellectuals have a problem: they have to justify their existence. Now, there are few things about the world that are understood. Most of the things that are understood, except perhaps for in certain areas of physics, can be explained with very simple words and in very short sentences. But if you do that, you don't become famous, you don't get a job, people don't revere your writing. There's a challenge there for intellectuals: to take what is rather simple and make it appear to be something very complicated and very profound. Groups of intellectuals interact that way. They speak amongst each other, and the rest of the world is supposed to admire them, treat them with respect, etc. But translate what they are saying into simple language and you'll often find either nothing at all or truisms, or absurdities.

-Noam Chomsky