Plantinga agrees with this claim: "A good being always eliminates evil as far as it can."
Plantinga agrees with this claim: "A good being always eliminates evil as far as it can."
Sometimes you can eliminate an evil only by bringing about a greater evil or eliminating a greater good. In these cases, a good being wouldn't eliminate the evil. So a good being wouldn't necessary amputate your leg to eliminate a pain in your little toe -- or take away your freedom of choice to prevent you from making bad decisions.
We should rather say that a good being always eliminates evil as far as it can, except when doing so would bring about a greater evil or eliminate a greater good.
Plantinga expresses this latter claim by saying: "A good being always eliminates any evil that it could properly eliminate."
Plantinga agrees with this claim: "A good being always eliminates evil as far as it can."
Sometimes you can eliminate an evil only by bringing about a greater evil or eliminating a greater good. In these cases, a good being wouldn't eliminate the evil. So a good being wouldn't necessary amputate your leg to eliminate a pain in your little toe -- or take away your freedom of choice to prevent you from making bad decisions.
We should rather say that a good being always eliminates evil as far as it can, except when doing so would bring about a greater evil or eliminate a greater good.
Plantinga expresses this latter claim by saying: "A good being always eliminates any evil that it could properly eliminate."