Defeating the Evil-God Challenge - by Jack Symes (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Defending the view that arguments from philosophical theology constitute a serious threat to the symmetry thesis, Jack Symes sets out a new solution to the evil-god challenge. Symes argues it is more reasonable to attribute goodness to the concept of god than it is to attribute evil, and therefore, we have reason to favour belief in a good god over an evil god. A theologically and philosophically nuanced engagement with the evil-god problem, it is the first book-length treatment to showcase the ways it can not only be solved, but that the solution is simple, modest, and compelling"--

Book Synopsis

The evil-god challenge is one of the most popular topics in contemporary philosophy of religion. In this landmark text, Jack Symes offers the most detailed examination of the challenge to date. Exploring the nature of god through the leading schools of philosophical theology, Symes argues that it is significantly more reasonable to attribute goodness to god than evil. Drawing from a breadth of ground-breaking material - in metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics and epistemology - Symes claims to defeat the evil-god challenge on behalf of traditional theism.

Is it any more reasonable to believe in a good god than an evil god? Not according to proponents of the evil-god challenge. After all, the world contains a significant amount of good and evil for which either god could be held responsible. However, if belief in both gods is equally as reasonable, then religious believers are unjustified in favouring one hypothesis over the other. Therefore, in order to defend their faith, theists must respond to the evil-god challenge: the question of what justifies belief in good god over evil god.

Review Quotes

In recent years, the evil-god challenge has become a highly debated topic in the philosophy of religion. Defeating the Evil-God Challenge by Jack Symes stands as a pioneering, comprehensive exploration of this contentious subject, providing both depth and intrigue. It not only marks a pivotal milestone in the field but also serves as a must-read for theists, atheists, and anyone navigating the expansive intellectual landscape in between.
Yujin Nagasawa, Kingfisher College Chair of the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics and Professor of Philosophy, University of Oklahoma, USA

Suppose that there is a God, is it more (or at least as) likely that He's bad as it is that He's good? Arguments that the answer to this question is 'Yes' constitute the evil-god challenge as it has been pressed over the last decade. In this, the first book-length engagement with the challenge, Symes makes a sustained, careful, and multi-pronged case that the answer is in fact 'No', a case which will be of cogency and interest to theists, agnostics and atheists alike.
Tim Mawson, Edgar Jones Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, UK

This is the most thorough treatment of the widely-discussed evil-god challenge to date. Symes clearly identifies the strongest version of the challenge and then patiently constructs a robust response, showing how the three main approaches to theology strongly favour attributing goodness rather than evil to god. Required reading for anyone interested in the topic.
T. Ryan Byerly, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Sheffield, UK

About the Author

Jack Symes is a public philosopher and writer. He is the producer of The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast and editor of the Bloomsbury series Talking about Philosophy. He is currently Teacher and Researcher at Durham University, UK.