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David Hume & The Problem of Evil

Total questions: 14

Worksheet time: 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

David Hume famously expressed the Problem of Evil in his book, Dialogues Concerning..?

a)

Evil and Omnipotence

b)

Natural Religion

c)

Omnipotence & Benevolence

d)

Religion and Philosophy

2.

When did David Hume write his famous book on the Problem of Evil?

a)

1779

b)

1789

c)

1799

d)

1809

3.

Why was the book published only after David Hume's death?

a)

Because it was unfinished at the time of his death

b)

Because printing hadn't been invented yet

c)

Because attacking religious belief was a sensitive subject

d)

Because he did not become well known until after his death

4.

David Hume's book on the Problem of Evil presents the ideas in the form of a play, in which 3 characters debate religion. In the play,which of the 3 characters believes that evil helps us become more moral?

a)

Demea

b)

Cleanthes

c)

Philo

5.

David Hume's book on the Problem of Evil presents the ideas in the form of a play, in which 3 characters debate religion. In the play,which of the 3 characters defends the goodness of God?

a)

Demea

b)

Cleanthes

c)

Philo

6.

David Hume's book on the Problem of Evil presents the ideas in the form of a play, in which 3 characters debate religion. In the play,which of the 3 characters is the sceptic who most closely represents Hume's view that evil and suffering are incompatible with a good God?

a)

Demea

b)

Cleanthes

c)

Philo

7.

David Hume referred to the Problem of Evil as

a)

The fundamental problem of religion

b)

The ground of atheism

c)

the roof of atheism

d)

the rock of atheism

8.

Is Philo's argument against the existence of God 'a priori' or 'a posteriori'?

a)

A priori

b)

A posteriori

9.

Which analogy does Philo use to question the good design of God when it comes to the world?

a)

A house with lots of structural flaws, designed by a great architect

b)

A garden full of weeds, managed by a famous gardener

c)

A boat with holes in, made by a master craftsman

10.

Which of these 4 are factors that Hume says account for natural evil in the world? (it can be more than one)

a)

Ability to feel pain

b)

Laws of nature

c)

Nature is parsimonious (mean)

d)

Poor workmanship

11.

Complete the quote from Darwin: "I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created....

a)

a world where earthquakes can devastate whole cities overnight

b)

humans with the ability to harm one another

c)

parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding on the living bodies of caterpillars

12.

What is Hume's dysteleological argument?

a)

The argument from design

b)

The argument that laws of nature only lead to misery and chaos

c)

The problem of evil

d)

The argument from causation

13.

Given the amount of evil in the world, Philo concludes that God must be which of the following..? (can be more than one)

a)

indifferent

b)

morally neutral

c)

morally good

d)

morally evil

14.

Hume's more developed argument is an exploration of ...

a)

The logical problem of evil

b)

The evidential problem of evil