Skip to content

Like this? Share it!

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Email
Closer To Truth
  • Watch
    • Seasons & EpisodesWatch complete episodes as aired on public television
    • Curated PlaylistsExplore collections of videos curated by our team
    • ProjectsDiscover collaborations with leading institutions
    • ContributorsMeet the greatest thinkers exploring the deepest questions
    • CTT ChatsWatch candid conversations with the brightest minds on the boldest ideas
    • Roundtable ArchivesView roundtable discussions from our early years
  • Topics
    • Cosmos, Life, Consciousness, Meaning: Explore the fundamental questions of existence.Topic Guide
    • All Topics
      • CosmosExplore cosmology, physics, and the fundamentals of existence
        • Back
        • All Cosmos
        • Deep Laws of Nature
          • Back
          • All Deep Laws of Nature
          • Cosmic Fundamentals
          • Time and Space-Time
          • Quantum Theory
          • Philosophy of Science
          • Complexity and Emergence
          • Mathematics as Fundamental?
          • Information as Fundamental?
          • Universe as Simulation?
          • Deep Discoveries in Science
        • Vast Cosmos
          • Back
          • All Vast Cosmos
          • Cosmic Immensity
          • Cosmic Beginnings
          • Cosmic Structure
          • Multiple Universes (Multiverse)
          • Black Holes, Dark Energy, Dark Matter
        • Our Special Universe
          • Back
          • All Our Special Universe
          • Fine-Tuning of the Universe?
          • Fine-Tuning the Universe for Life & Mind?
          • Breathtaking Universe
          • Alien Intelligences?
          • Far Future of the Universe
        • Breakthroughs
          • Back
          • All Breakthroughs
          • Breakthroughs in Science
          • Breakthroughs in Mathematics
        • Science and Religion
          • Back
          • All Science and Religion
          • Science vs. Religion?
          • Science and God
          • How Science and Religion Think
          • The New Atheism
          • Limits of Science
        • Mystery of Existence
          • Back
          • All Mystery of Existence
          • The Mystery of Existence
          • The Mystery of Laws & Cosmos
          • Metaphysics of Cosmos
          • Why Anything at All?
      • LifeJoin our in-depth exploration of life on planet earth and beyond.
        • Back
        • All Life
        • Philosophy of Biology
          • Back
          • All Philosophy of Biology
          • Why Philosophy of Biology?
          • Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology
          • Philosophy of Genes and Information
          • Philosophy of Evolution and Religion
        • What is Life?
          • Back
          • All What is Life?
          • What is Life?
          • What is Death?
        • Human Biology
          • Back
          • All Human Biology
          • Human Nature & Uniqueness
          • Evolutionary Culture and Ethics
          • Sex and Gender
          • Biology of Race
          • Medicine and Healthcare
          • Biological Futures
        • Life in the Cosmos
          • Back
          • All Life in the Cosmos
          • Life in the Cosmos
        • Biological Concepts
          • Back
          • All Biological Concepts
          • Mathematics and Biology
          • Deception
          • Plant Sentience
      • ConsciousnessSearch mysteries of mind and individual awareness
        • Back
        • All Consciousness
        • Mind-Body Problems
          • Back
          • All Mind-Body Problems
          • The Mind-Body Problem
          • Brain Structure and Function
          • Brain Explains Mind?
          • Elements of Mind
        • Consciousness
          • Back
          • All Consciousness
          • Mystery of Consciousness
          • Landscape of Consciousness
          • Consciousness as Emergent
          • Consciousness as All Physical?
          • States of Consciousness
          • Sleep and Dreams
          • Purpose of Consciousness?
          • Metaphysics of Consciousness
        • Persons
          • Back
          • All Persons
          • Persons and Selves
          • Personal Identity
          • Life After Death?
          • Souls?
          • Human Uniqueness
          • Creativity
          • Music
          • Epistemology
          • Belief Systems
          • Mind and Society
          • People and Society
        • Free Will
          • Back
          • All Free Will
          • Mystery of Free Will
          • Philosophy of Free Will
          • Free Will and Consciousness
          • Science of Free Will
          • Free Will and Morality
          • Theology of Free Will
        • Extrasensory Perception
          • Back
          • All Extrasensory Perception
          • ESP and New Realities?
          • ESP and the Nonphysical?
        • Art Seeking Understanding
          • Back
          • All Art Seeking Understanding
          • Aesthetic Cognitivism
          • Art and Philosophy
          • Neuroscience/Cognitive Science of Art
          • Neuroscience/Cognitive Science of Music
          • Art and God
          • Art and Religion
          • Art and Culture
          • Mind, Art, Transcendence
          • Art Seeking Understanding Projects
      • MeaningSeek whether God exists through diverse perspectives
        • Back
        • All Meaning
        • Philosophy of Religion
          • Back
          • All Philosophy of Religion
          • Concepts of God
          • Alternative Concepts of God
          • Faith and Belief
          • Conflict Among Religions
          • Philosophy and Analytic Theology
          • Contemporary Theological Engagement
          • How Philosophy Informs Religion
          • Religion Without God
          • Eastern Traditions and the Big Questions
          • Global Philosophy of Religion
        • Existence of God
          • Back
          • All Existence of God
          • Arguing God's Existence
          • Philosophical Arguments For God
          • Experiential Arguments For God
          • Arguments Against God
        • Attributes of God
          • Back
          • All Attributes of God
          • God's Nature?
          • God's Essence?
          • God's Powers?
          • God and Time?
        • God as Creator
          • Back
          • All God as Creator
          • God The Creator?
          • God's Interactions?
          • God's World?
        • Ultimate Destinies
          • Back
          • All Ultimate Destinies
          • God's Knowledge and Future Events?
          • Judgment (Heaven, Hell)?
          • Resurrection?
          • Eschatology (End Times)?
          • Eternal Life?
          • Search for Meaning
  • News
    • All NewsStay up-to-date with the latest from Closer To Truth
    • Book ExcerptsExplore recently authored books from our contributors
    • PerspectivesRead essays and articles from our community
  • About
    • About Closer To TruthWe are a digital-media nonprofit and TV series
    • The TV SeriesWhere to watch on PBS stations nationwide
    • DonateDonate now to keep our content free!
    • Meet the TeamMeet the host and team behind Closer To Truth
    • PartnershipsLearn about our partners and collaborators
    • Support Closer To TruthWays to engage with and support our work
    • PodcastListen on your favorite podcast player
    • StoreBuy official Closer To Truth merchandise
    • YouTubeSubscribe to Closer To Truth on YouTube
  • Donate
Search
  • Login
  • Join
  • Watch
    • EpisodesWatch complete episodes as aired on public television
    • Curated PlaylistsExplore collections of videos curated by our team
    • ProjectsDiscover collaborations with leading institutions
    • ContributorsMeet the greatest thinkers exploring the deepest questions
    • CTT ChatsWatch chats with the brightest minds on the boldest ideas
    • RoundtablesView roundtable discussions from our early years
  • Topics
    • Topic GuideCosmos, Consciousness, Meaning: Join us as we explore the fundamental questions of existence.
    • CosmosExplore cosmology, physics, and the fundamentals of existence
    • ConsciousnessSearch mysteries of mind and individual awareness
    • MeaningSeek whether God exists through diverse perspectives
  • News
    • The Latest
  • About
    • About Closer To TruthWe are a digital-media nonprofit and TV series
    • TV SeriesWhere to watch on PBS stations nationwide
    • Meet the TeamMeet our host and our team
    • DonateDonate now to keep our content free!
    • PartnershipsLearn about CTT’s partners and collaborators
    • Support Closer to TruthWays to engage with and support our work
    • PodcastListen on your favorite podcast player
    • StoreBuy official Closer To Truth merchandise
    • YouTubeSubscribe to Closer To Truth on YouTube
    • FAQLearn about Closer to Truth membership
  • Login
  • Join

video

Topic Series

Robin Collins

  • Watch Next
Cover image for Zoltan Istvan on Transhumanism

Zoltan Istvan on Transhumanism

Cover image for Zoltan Istvan on Neologisms

Zoltan Istvan on Neologisms

Cover image for Susan Schneider: MindFest Retrospective

Susan Schneider: MindFest Retrospective

Cover image for Zoltan Istvan on the Impact of AI Deepfakes

Zoltan Istvan on the Impact of AI Deepfakes

Cover image for James Hughes on Transhumanism: Citizen Cyborg and Democratic Societies

James Hughes on Transhumanism: Citizen Cyborg and Democratic Societies

Cover image for Mark Bailey on Unknowable Minds: Autonomous Weapons

Mark Bailey on Unknowable Minds: Autonomous Weapons

  • Details
  • Transcripts
    • Share
Featured In

  • Did God Create Evil? (Part I)
Contributors

Robin Collins

Robin Collins works on philosophical theology and science-theology, fine-tuning of the...
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Robin, you would almost convince me that the enormity of evil does not disprove the existence of God.
Robin Collins
Right.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Where I go to next after I hear all the arguments is that it seems to me that in fact for all these wonderful purposes God created evil.
Robin Collins
I would put it differently. God created a world which—structured in such a way that evil is almost bound to occur. Evil in the form of suffering and moral evil.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Isn't that a cop out? I mean why don't you just come out and say God created evil?
Robin Collins
Well, the reason it's not a cop out is let's think back to the conditions of free will. Let's suppose you actually gave somebody the free choice to do either good or evil. And you, suppose we could create Androids in the future and so we create an Android with true free choice and that Android goes around as you see in a lot of science fiction movies, goes around, and decides to use her free will badly and goes and destroys a bunch of stuff. Would you say the maker of the Android created the evil? I don't think so. You'd say the maker created the Android, neither good nor bad, and then it mis-used it's free will.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Well, but wait a minute. But I as the creator of that Android are not omniscient. I can't see the future and I don't know what's gonna happen. But if I know that I've created beings that have this potential for evil and I know that because I'm omniscient, I know what's gonna happen in the future, I know they will create evil or if they have the potential for evil and I have billions of creations I know some of them are gonna create evil. So, I know statistically, probabilistically, if not omnisciently that evil, is gonna occur and I've created it and to say that I haven't created it is…
Robin Collins
Well, you've created the conditions and you're certain it's …like if you created…
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
I created the conditions and I'm certain it's gonna happen so…
Robin Collins
Analogy would heed your…
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Just say…
Robin Collins
If you…
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Just say God created evil.
Robin Collins
Well, I, I, the problem I have with that is it makes God look like God's evil.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
I didn't say that because you're giving arguments why evil are important in these theodicies which justify evil, free will, making souls, making eternal connections. All of that I can almost buy into. But then I go to the next step and I say evil is part of God's plan.
Robin Collins
Yes. The occurrence of evil is part of, at least, part of God's plan that evil will occur. I would agree with that. That God foresaw in some way or another that either evil would occur or was very likely to occur. Depends on what you think of God's knowledge of the future.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Very likely to occur but when you have billions of opportunities statistically…
Robin Collins
Opportunities, it's bound to occur.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Statistically, it has to occur.
Robin Collins
So, the analogy would be like if I decided to create a million or a billion free willed Androids. We could just put them on an assembly line and then I would create all these Androids and I knew some of them were gonna turn—use their choice badly.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
You don't know which ones.
Robin Collins
I know which one. I wouldn't say in that case I created the evil. I would say I created the conditions that would inevitably lead to the evil. Maybe you find that a philosopher's way out.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
A distinction without a difference.
Robin Collins
Right.

Watch Next

Cover image for Zoltan Istvan on Transhumanism

Zoltan Istvan Gyurko, professionally known as Zoltan Istvan, is an American transhumanist, journalist, entrepreneur, political candidate, and futurist.

video

Zoltan Istvan on Transhumanism

Classic Chats, CTT Chat

17:28

Watch

Cover image for Zoltan Istvan on Neologisms

What role do new words—neologisms—play in shaping the future? Futurist and transhumanist Zoltan Istvan explores how neologisms reflect evolving technologies, radical...

video

Zoltan Istvan on Neologisms

Classic Chats, CTT Chat

5:26

Watch

Cover image for Susan Schneider: MindFest Retrospective

Dr. Susan Schneider is a philosopher and artificial intelligence (AI) expert. She is the founding director of the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University...

video

Susan Schneider: MindFest Retrospective

Classic Chats, CTT Chat

12:07

Watch

Cover image for Zoltan Istvan on the Impact of AI Deepfakes

Zoltan Istvan Gyurko, professionally known as Zoltan Istvan, is an American transhumanist, journalist, entrepreneur, political candidate, and futurist.

video

Zoltan Istvan on the Impact of AI Deepfakes

Classic Chats, CTT Chat

13:50

Watch

Cover image for James Hughes on Transhumanism: Citizen Cyborg and Democratic Societies

James Hughes Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and a bioethicist and sociologist who serves as the Associate Provost for...

video

James Hughes on Transhumanism: Citizen Cyborg and Democratic Societies

Classic Chats, CTT Chat

11:33

Watch

Cover image for Mark Bailey on Unknowable Minds: Autonomous Weapons

Dr. Mark Bailey writes about the intersection between artificial intelligence, complexity, and national security. He is an associate professor at the National Intelligence...

video

Mark Bailey on Unknowable Minds: Autonomous Weapons

Classic Chats, CTT Chat

17:16

Watch


Become a Member

Get free access to exclusive content and more.

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • Watch on YouTube
  • Find us on PBS
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Policies Terms © Closer To Truth. All rights reserved Website by Visceral