A superior non-identity theodicy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19216092 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jeremy W Skrzypek (0000-0002-6506-5919, Ohio Dominican University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-15 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-07 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religious Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0034-4125 • E-ISSN: 1469-901X |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0034412526101620 |
| OpenAlex | W7160531962 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 18 |
A non-identity theodicy is any attempt to explain why an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good, and all-loving God might cause or permit the pain and suffering of his creatures that makes use of one or more claims about the identity conditions of those creatures. Most non-identity theodicies make use of one identity thesis in particular: origin essentialism, the thesis that the particular circumstances in which a person first comes into existence are essential to that person. In this paper, I argue that, despite some impressive upshots, origin essentialist non-identity theodicies fall short in at least two ways. I argue, furthermore, that both of these shortcomings can be rectified by building a non-identity theodicy on a stronger identity thesis: superessentialism, the thesis according to which every event in the life of a person, and not just the circumstances in which he or she first begins to exist, is essential to that person
Counterfactual thinking · Creatures · Essentialism · Event (particle physics) · Identity (music) · Theodicy · Karl Barth and Christian Theology · Philosophy and Theoretical Science · Theology and Philosophy of Evil
| Highly cited | No |
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