WesMaps - Wesleyan University Catalog 2011-2012       Summer Session       Winter Session       Home       Archive       Search
CS92PROD
Unthinkable Suffering: The Problem of "the Problem of Evil"
RELI 209
Spring 2012 not offered

This course will explore the difficulties of reconciling the existence of evil and suffering in the world with the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent God. How have Christian philosophers and theologians sought to justify God by redefining, relativizing, or even explaining away evil? We will explore traditional efforts to set forth "theodicies," or justifications of God's goodness, as well as the inadequacy of these schemes in the face of the horrors of the 20th century. How is it possible to account for evil that surpasses all understanding or suffering that is too great to explain away? How, in other words, can thinking think the unthinkable?

Essential Capabilities: None
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RELI
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (RELI)

Last Updated on APR-16-2024
Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email ? Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459