Theodicy

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/theodicy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the originator of the term?Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, in his 1710 publication 'Théodicée'
2. What is the key theodicy strategies?Free will defense, soul-making theodicies, skeptical theism
3. Why do bad things happen if God is all‑good and all‑powerful?If God could stop all bad things and wanted to, we would not see them. Because bad things do exist, the problem shows that we need to find a reason why God might allow them.
4. Who first used the word theodicy?The word was first written down by the German thinker Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1710 in his book "Théodicée".

Problem of Evil: The philosophical challenge of reconciling the existence of evil with a God who is all-powerful and all-good.
Defense (Theological): An argument showing that God and evil can logically coexist, without necessarily explaining why God permits evil.
Skeptical Theism: The view that humans cannot know God's reasons for permitting evil due to cognitive limitations.