From Protest to Commitment; The Evolution of Ethical Criticism in the Anti-Theodicy School

Mohammadinia, I.

From Protest to Commitment; The Evolution of Ethical Criticism in the Anti-Theodicy School

Document Type : Original Research

Author

I. Mohammadinia

Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, College of Theology, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

Abstract

This article employs an analytical-historical method to examine the evolution of ethical criticism within the anti-theodicy school. It argues that this school has traversed a dynamic path from an initial protest against the theological justification of evil to the formulation of a concrete ethical-practical obligation. This transition is analyzed in four stages: first, the philosophical foundation laid by Phillips and the Wittgensteinians, critiquing the logical contradictions of theodicy; second, the ethical deepening of the critique through Surin's focus on radical evil and the concept of unforgivable moral blindness; third, the politicization of the critique in Tilley's thought, which presents theodicy as an ideological tool for justifying passivity; and fourth, the formulation of an alternative through Pihlström's pragmatist framework, which shifts the central question from "why?" to "what is to be done?" This research demonstrates that the anti-theodicy school not only deems the traditional theodicy project invalid but also opens new horizons for a committed, pragmatist theology that stands in solidarity with the victims of evil.

Keywords

Anti-theodicy

Problem of Evil

Philosophy of Religion

Practical Ethics

Pragmatism

Subjects

Philosophy of Religion (Continental)

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