Empirical Challenges to the Evidential Problem of Evil

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores how the tools and resources of experimental philosophy might be brought to bear on William Rowe’s seminal, 1979 formulation of the problem of evil, arguing that new empirical findings raise significant questions regarding the ultimate success of Rowe’s argument. Section 1 elucidates Rowe’s formulation of the problem and the intuitions that seem to underwrite it. Section 2 explores how the tools and resources of experimental philosophy might be brought to bear on Rowe’s formulation, outlining some hypotheses and the methods for testing them before showcasing the results. Section 3 discusses the philosophical import of these results—arguing that, when taken together, they pose an initial challenge to Rowe’s seminal argument.