Philosophy of Religion Exams

I just began reading
Peter van Inwagen's
The Problem of evil.

I love teaching philosophy of religion and logic at Monroe County Community College. For my philosophy of religion classes I give three 10-minute oral exams on sets of questions the students know in advance. In this class I teach on anywhere from 18-21 essays.

This next set of oral exams is on the following questions:

1. Explain J.L. Mackie's Logical Argument from Evil Against God's Existence.
2. Mackie says that one adequate solution to the problem of evil would be if the third statement of "Mackie's Triad" is false, which is: Evil exists. If evil is an illusion, as a version of Buddhism teaches, then we have no "problem of evil." Explain Buddhism's idea that evil is an illusion.
3. Explain Alvin Plantinga's Free Will Defense as a refutation of Mackie's argument from evil.
4. Explain William Rowe's Evidential Argument against God's Existence.
5. Explain Stephen Wyckstra's Critique of William Rowe's Argument from Evil (Rowe commits a "no-seeum fallacy").
6. Explain John Hick's Soul-Making Theodicy as a response to the argument from evil.
Extra credit (if needed): Explain the Modal Argument for the Compatibility of Divine Foreknowledge and Human Free Will.

The exam review session will be this Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Oral exams will be held on Thurs., Nov. 3, and Tues., Nov. 8. Room A173.