Evil, Freedom and the Religious Hypothesis

Abstract

Hume’s main discussion of what is usually termed the problem of evil (or the problem of suffering) is in Parts X and XI of the Dialogues and in Section XI of the Enquiry. Section VIII of the Enquiry contains some remarks on freedom and necessity which are relevant to what, following Flew and Plantinga, I shall call the ‘Free Will Defence’. But these form an argument in their own right and I shall deal with them separately in the final section of this chapter.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Ecclesiastes, IX