I disagree that atheism lacks the intellectual resources to deal with evil. Saying "evil is a psychological construct, as real as dragons" is a robust intellectual response. Imo. It is unsatisfying to those who want or need for the universe and our place in it to be part of some bigger plan.
Of course, if you believe the premise (embedded in the diatribe below) that the universe requires "redemption", you've begged the question. A universe that requires redemption is definitively beset by evil.
The appeal to emotion that always stumps me a bit is the need for life, singly and collectively, to have "purpose" or "meaning" above and beyond the blazing fact of our existence. What more does one require, and why? Is there a way to define "meaning/purpose" in a way that is independent of the premise that someOne is watching (over) us?
The concept of evil that is being presented here is of evil as something active, personal, organized. Something demonic, diabolic. A face. It's the obvious counterweight to someOne watching over us, but imo it is just as much of a logical "reach". Evil is a purely religious idea.
Imo, saying that bad things happen outside of a plan by either a god or a devil requires tremendous moral courage. There is something opiatic, abdicatory about passing the credit and blame to a superhuman, powerful, engaged agency. |
