Philo begins his argument from the existence of evil by introducing a few examples on why God has either not willed humanity’s happiness or that He does not believe that happiness is an essential component to the human condition. In his first argument, he asserts first that God is a moral being who values traits such a justice, kindness, and mercy. He then states that God’s scope is infinite, and he can perform whatever deeds he so wishes. Finally, he says that humanity is unhappy. This leads to the conclusion that God must not wish for the contentment of mankind.
Philo’s second argument is that God possesses unbounded intelligence and foresight, and therefore is incapable of being fooled into believing that time will lay itself out in any …show more content…
He claims that for every problem humanity faces they are gifted happiness one hundred fold, and that all arguments stating the contrary are exaggeration.
Philo then begins his piece on why this is inaccurate. He allows that even if misery exists less frequently than ecstasy, it has the capacity to be perpetually more brutal and long lasting. An extended amount of time of common enjoyment can easily be overcome by a fractional amount of time of acute despair. There are very few peaks of happiness in our lives, and when we do have intense happiness it is often fleeting and cannot be retained over an extended period of time. Furthermore, humans often experience an emotional vacuum after intense happiness.
Inversely, pain has many constant, long lasting valleys in a person’s life, and oftentimes when it rears its head it will become increasingly more legitimate the longer it lasts. Over time, positive emotions succumb to negative ones, and nothing solves humanity’s melancholy but the elimination of the root of the emotion or change, which is the only thing that can combat evil. However, humans are so prone to absurdity that we fear change in our daily lives, despite it being the only thing that can combat …show more content…
Philo explains that if the man had no prior conceptions of the Earth as we know it, he would imagine a world that is dramatically different and less full of sadness, addiction, and chaos, than the world at present. However, if that same man were to come into the being with the thought that God has infinite attributes, he would be disappointed but ultimately come to terms with the imperfect world around him, understanding that his intellect is not comparable to a supreme being, and would then continue to believe in Him. Moreover, if this man lacked prior knowledge of God’s existence, and had to ascertain his beliefs on his own, he would be able to come to the conclusion of God’s existence easier if he was not faced with constant degradation of his intelligence in comparison to a being he does not know, Philo then compares God to the architect of a noisy, dark, and messy building in order to illustrate his point. The tenants of the building will always conclude that the detrimental aspects of the building are at the fault of the designer, even if the design created is the best possible option given the circumstances. Philo concludes his argument by stating that inferences as to God’s facets may help to prove his traits, but are incapable as a foundation to further
Philo’s second argument is that God possesses unbounded intelligence and foresight, and therefore is incapable of being fooled into believing that time will lay itself out in any …show more content…
He claims that for every problem humanity faces they are gifted happiness one hundred fold, and that all arguments stating the contrary are exaggeration.
Philo then begins his piece on why this is inaccurate. He allows that even if misery exists less frequently than ecstasy, it has the capacity to be perpetually more brutal and long lasting. An extended amount of time of common enjoyment can easily be overcome by a fractional amount of time of acute despair. There are very few peaks of happiness in our lives, and when we do have intense happiness it is often fleeting and cannot be retained over an extended period of time. Furthermore, humans often experience an emotional vacuum after intense happiness.
Inversely, pain has many constant, long lasting valleys in a person’s life, and oftentimes when it rears its head it will become increasingly more legitimate the longer it lasts. Over time, positive emotions succumb to negative ones, and nothing solves humanity’s melancholy but the elimination of the root of the emotion or change, which is the only thing that can combat evil. However, humans are so prone to absurdity that we fear change in our daily lives, despite it being the only thing that can combat …show more content…
Philo explains that if the man had no prior conceptions of the Earth as we know it, he would imagine a world that is dramatically different and less full of sadness, addiction, and chaos, than the world at present. However, if that same man were to come into the being with the thought that God has infinite attributes, he would be disappointed but ultimately come to terms with the imperfect world around him, understanding that his intellect is not comparable to a supreme being, and would then continue to believe in Him. Moreover, if this man lacked prior knowledge of God’s existence, and had to ascertain his beliefs on his own, he would be able to come to the conclusion of God’s existence easier if he was not faced with constant degradation of his intelligence in comparison to a being he does not know, Philo then compares God to the architect of a noisy, dark, and messy building in order to illustrate his point. The tenants of the building will always conclude that the detrimental aspects of the building are at the fault of the designer, even if the design created is the best possible option given the circumstances. Philo concludes his argument by stating that inferences as to God’s facets may help to prove his traits, but are incapable as a foundation to further