Whitney’s aesthetic theodicy

Barry Whitney. "An Aesthetic Solution to the Problem of Evil." Philosophy of Religion 35 (1994): 21-37.

There is an aesthetic dimension in the theodicies of Augustine & Aquinas--God permits evil for the sake of the good of the whole.

Objections: Augustine & Aquinas assume that God exists & is good & is limitlessly powerful

Objections to this part of Augustine’s & Aquinas’s theodicies

Some evils may contribute to the good of the whole but many do not

This in effect says that evil is not genuine, only seems to be evil. But in humans experience real suffering.

Assumes too much--existence of God and nature of God

Whitney: Will proposes a theodicy which does not carry these presuppositions.

This changes the problem:

From -- how can a good, powerful, & loving God be reconciled with evil

To -- how can we live a good life in the face of evil

The aesthetic theodicy, or anthropodicy

Humans have an inner drive to seek meaningful experiences

Humans have the opportunity at every moment, even in the bleakest situations, to experience meaning & value, i.e., to experience aesthetic value

What are experience of aesthetic value?

Experiences of intensity & harmony which make life meaningful

Is appropriate that the world is such that there is a certain amount of disorder & accordingly evil; a world of pure order would be stifling to freedom and be boring

Under this theodicy, burden is on each person to take experiences in such a way as to make them meaningful

Can this anthropodicy be converted to a theodicy? Can the theory fit God in?

One way: Do not expect too much of God; we tend to expect too much.

We should expect no more than a meaningful life.

We should expect no more than a meaningful life.

Thus this theodicy lessens the responsibility of God for evil.

Another way: Use process philosophy

God is the source of potentiality in humans & nature

God provides a persuasive lure & opportunities for meaningful experiences

God does not have absolute control over nature & humans

God interacts with humans by luring and persuading

But it is up to humans to decides how to use these opportunities

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Critical evaluation

Are all persons capable of finding aesthetic value in all situations?