Explain the main tenets of the Process Theodicy as an explanation of the problem of evil.

The Problem of Evil: A Brief Overview

The problem of evil can be broadly categorized into two forms:

• Logical Problem of Evil: Argues that the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God is logically incompatible with the existence of evil. If God is all-good, He would want to prevent evil; if all-powerful, He could prevent evil; if all-knowing, He would know how to prevent evil. Since evil exists, such a God cannot.
• Evidential Problem of Evil: Contends that the sheer amount and seemingly gratuitous nature of evil in the world make the existence of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God highly improbable, even if not logically impossible.

Main Tenets of Process Theodicy

Process Theodicy, rooted in Process Philosophy, challenges traditional metaphysical assumptions about God and reality. Instead of viewing God as a static, utterly transcendent being, it posits a God who is intimately involved in the world's ongoing processes and is itself subject to change and development. This reconceptualization forms the basis for its explanation of evil.

1. God's Limited (Persuasive, Not Coercive) Power

• Rejection of Coercive Omnipotence: A central tenet is the rejection of God's coercive omnipotence. Process theologians argue that God does not possess the absolute, unilateral power to control every event in the universe. Instead, God's power is persuasive, analogous to a leader who influences rather than dictates. David Ray Griffin uses the term "omnipotence fallacy" to critique the traditional view of God's power.
• Shared Creativity: Reality is composed of "actual occasions" or "actual entities," each possessing a degree of self-creativity and freedom. God influences these entities by presenting them with "initial aims" or optimal possibilities, but does not determine their choices. The world's creativity is inherent and cannot be overridden by God.
• Creation out of Chaos: Unlike the classical doctrine of Creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing), process theology often suggests creation out of pre-existing chaos. God's role is to bring order and novelty to this evolving, inherently creative universe, rather than to micromanage it.

2. God as a Fellow Sufferer (Dipolar God)

• Dipolar Nature of God: Process theology describes God as having a "dipolar" nature: a primordial pole of eternal ideas and possibilities (God's unchanging aspect) and a consequent pole that is constantly affected by and incorporates the experiences of the world (God's changing aspect).
• Impassibility Rejected: Traditional theology often portrays God as impassible (incapable of suffering). Process theology rejects this, arguing that God is deeply affected by the suffering of the world. God is "the fellow sufferer who understands," who experiences all joys and sorrows within the universe.
• Divine Lure: God's influence on the world is a "divine lure" towards greater order, complexity, beauty, and intensity of experience. God consistently offers the best possibilities for each actual occasion, but cannot force their acceptance.

3. The Nature of Reality as Process and Interconnectedness

• Reality as Becoming: Inspired by Alfred North Whitehead's "philosophy of organism," reality is seen not as static substances but as dynamic processes of "becoming." Everything is constantly in flux and interconnected.
• Universal Freedom: Even at a sub-atomic level, entities possess a rudimentary form of freedom or self-determination. This inherent freedom, extending from simple organisms to complex human beings, is the source of both good and evil.

Process Theodicy's Explanation of Evil

Given these tenets, Process Theodicy provides a distinct explanation for both moral and natural evil:

1. Explanation of Moral Evil

• Moral evil arises from the misuse of inherent freedom by conscious beings. Because God cannot coercively control the choices of individuals, God cannot prevent them from choosing evil.
• God's role is to persuade beings towards the good, to inspire love and harmony, but the ultimate decision rests with the free agents. The existence of genuine freedom necessarily entails the possibility of choosing evil.

2. Explanation of Natural Evil

• Natural evil (e.g., earthquakes, diseases) is explained by the inherent freedom and lack of full determinism even at the most fundamental levels of reality.
• Sub-atomic particles, natural forces, and biological organisms all have a degree of self-creativity and may not always conform to God's optimal aims. God cannot unilaterally prevent natural disasters or the suffering they cause, as this would require overriding the very nature of existence itself.
• God's suffering alongside creation in the face of natural evil underscores divine empathy and engagement rather than detachment.

The following table summarizes the key differences in how Process Theodicy approaches attributes of God compared to classical theism in relation to the problem of evil:

Attribute	Classical Theism	Process Theodicy
Omnipotence	God has absolute, coercive power over all events (can do anything logically possible).	God has persuasive, not coercive, power; influences rather than controls.
Nature of God	Static, unchanging, fully transcendent, impassible (cannot suffer).	Dynamic, evolving, immanent (part of the universe), dipolar (primordial and consequent poles), fellow-sufferer.
Creation	Creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing); God is the sole ultimate cause.	Creation out of pre-existing "chaos" or potential; shared creativity with the world.
Freedom	Human free will is a gift from God, but God could still ideally create a world with free beings who always choose good (e.g., Alvin Plantinga's free will defense).	Freedom (self-determination) is inherent to all actual entities; God cannot coerce entities without destroying their nature.