Evil, God, and the Meaning of Life without Free Will: Hard Theological Determinism

Year 2021, , 197 - 224, 31.05.2021

Aykut Alper Yılmaz

https://doi.org/10.33227/auifd.851771

Abstract

Derk Pereboom is one of the leading figures in today’s free will debate. It can be said that the hard incompatibilism view he advocated is associated with his name. Pereboom’s less-known thoughts are related to his attempt to reconcile his hard incompatibilism -denial of freedom and responsibility- with theistic beliefs he holds. However, it should be noted that this effort seems quite problematic for theists. For many theists, notions such as divine reward and punishment or heaven and hell require the reality of free will and responsibility. In this paper, I will examine Pereboom’s effort as an example of an attempt to reconcile a theistic belief with a hard incompatibilist understanding in which both free will and responsibility are denied. In this context, I will question what the problem of evil, the sins committed by humans, heaven and hell, and life, might mean without free will and responsibility, especially in terms of theism. Then I will include some criticisms about how consistent such an understanding is and I will conclude with a brief evaluation.

Keywords

Philosophy of Religion, Theism, Theological Determinism, Evil, Derk Pereboom

Özgür İrade Olmaksızın Kötülükler, Tanrı ve Yaşamın Anlamı: Katı Teolojik Belirlenimcilik

Abstract

Derk Pereboom, günümüz özgür irade tartışmalarının önde gelen isimlerinden biridir. Savunmuş olduğu katı bağdaşmazcılık (hard incompatibilism) görüşünün, onun ismiyle birlikte anıldığı söylenebilir. Pereboom’un daha az bilinen düşünceleri ise özgürlüğü ve sorumluluğu reddeden katı bağdaşmazcı görüşü ile sahip olduğu teistik inançları bağdaştırma çabasıyla alakalıdır. Ancak bu çabanın teistler açısından oldukça sorunlu görüldüğünü belirtmek gerekir. Zira pek çok teist, özgür iradenin ve sorumluluğun varlığı ile ilahi ödül ve ceza veya cennet-cehennem gibi anlayışlar arasında birbirini gerektirme ilişkisi olduğunu düşünür. Bu çalışmada ben hem özgür iradenin hem de sorumluluğun reddedildiği bir anlayış ile teistik bir inancı uzlaştırma çabasının bir örneği olarak Pereboom’un bu çabasını inceleyeceğim. Bu bağlamda, özgür irade ve sorumluluk olmaksızın kötülük problemi, insanların işlediği günahlar meselesi, cennet ve cehennemin ve yaşamın özellikle de teizm açısından nasıl bir anlama sahip olabileceğine ilişkin bazı sorgulamalarda bulunacağım. Akabinde böyle bir anlayışın ne kadar tutarlı olduğuna ilişkin bazı eleştirilere yer vereceğim ve kısa bir değerlendirmede bulunarak bitireceğim.

Keywords

Derk Pereboom, Teizm, Din Felsefesi, Teizm, Teolojik Belirlenimcilik, Kötülükler

References

• Adams, Robert Merrihew. “Faith and Religious Knowledge,” Jacqueline Marina (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Friedrich Schleiermacher (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005) içinde, ss.35-52.
• Almeida, Michael J. “Compatibilism and the Free Will Defense,” Hugh J. McCann (ed.), Free Will and Classical Theism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017) içinde, ss.56-70.
• Dennett, Daniel. “Daniel Dennett: Stop Telling People They don’t have Free Will.” 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBrSdlOhIx4 (15. 12. 2018).
• Feldman, Fred ve Brad Skow. “Desert,” Edward N. Zalta (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/desert/ (17.12.2020).
• Florio, Ciro de ve Aldo Frigerio. Divine Omniscience and Human Free Will: A Logical and Metaphysical Analysis. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.
• Gockel, Matthias. Barth and Schleiermacher on the Doctrine of Election. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
• Haji, Ishtiyaque. “On the Viability of Semi-compatibilism,” Ideas Y Valores 58:141 (2009), ss.125-140.
• Hood, Bruce. Benlik Yanılsaması; Sosyal Beyin, Kimliği Nasıl Oluşturur?. Çev. Eyüphan Özdemir. İstanbul: Ayrıntı Yayınları, 2019.
• Lewis, David K. “Divine Evil,” Louise M. Antony (ed.), Philosophers without God: Meditations on Atheism and the Secular Life (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) içinde, ss.231-242
• McCann, Hugh J. “Introduction,” Hugh J. McCann (ed.), Free Will and Classical Theism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017) içinde, ss.xi-xvii.
• McCann, Hugh J. ve Daniel M Johnson. “Divine Providence,” Edward N. Zalta (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/providence-divine/ (19.09.2020).
• McKenna, Michael ve Derk Pereboom. Free Will: A Contemporary Introduction. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.
• Nadler, Steven. “Baruch Spinoza.” Edward N. Zalta (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2019/entries/spinoza/ (12.07.2020).
• O’Connor, Timothy. “Against Theological Determinism,” Kevin Timpe ve Daniel Speak (ed.), Free Will & Theism: Connections, Contingencies, and Concerns (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016) içinde, ss.132-141.
• Parfit, Derek. On What Matters. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
• Pereboom, Derk. “A Defense without Freedom,” Justin P. McBrayer ve Daniel Howard-Snyder (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to the Problem of Evil (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2013) içinde, ss.411-425.
• Pereboom, Derk. Free Will, Agency, and Meaning in Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
• Pereboom, Derk. “Free Will, Evil, and Divine Providence,” Andrew Dole ve Andrew Chignell (ed.), God and the Ethics of Belief: New Essays in Philosophy of Religion (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005) içinde, ss.77-98.
• Pereboom, Derk. “Free Will is Impossible. Interview with Derk Pereboom.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Ublv0fneY (22.08.2020).
• Pereboom, Derk. “Hard Incompatibilism,” John Martin Fischer, Robert Kane, Derk Pereboom, Manuel Vargas (ed.), Four Views on Free Will (Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2007) içinde, ss.85-126.
• Pereboom, Derk. Living Without Free Will. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
• Pereboom, Derk. “Theological Determinism and Divine Providence,” Ken Perszyk (ed.), Molinism: The Contemporary Debate (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012) içinde, ss.262-279.
• Pereboom, Derk. “Theological Determinism and the Relationship with God,” Hugh J. McCann (ed.), Free Will and Classical Theism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017) içinde, ss.201-221.
• Plantinga, Alvin. “Self-Profile,” James E. Tomberlin ve Peter Van Inwagen (ed.), Alvin Plantinga (Dordrecht & Boston: D. Reidel Publishing Company, 1985) içinde, ss.3-97.
• Schleiermacher, Friedrich. The Christian Faith. Londra & New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016.
• Spinoza, Benedictus, “Spinoza to Blyenbergh (Letter XXXII).” İng. çev. R. H. M. Elwes, https://www.sacred-texts.com/phi/spinoza/corr/corr31.htm (23.04.2021).
• Spinoza, Benedictus. Mektuplar. Çev. Emine Ayhan. İstanbul: Dost Kitabevi Yayınları, 2014.
• Vicens, Leigh. “Theological Determinism,” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/theo-det/ (03.02.2021).
• Vohs, Kathleen D. ve Jonathan W. Schooler. “The Value of Believing in Free Will: Encouraging a Belief in Determinism Increases Cheating," Psychological Science 19:1 (2008), ss.49-54.
• “Curriculum Vitae, Derk Pereboom.” https://cornell.academia.edu/DerkPereboom/CurriculumVitae (10.08.2020).
• “Matta.” https://christiananswers.net/turkish/bible-tr/tr-mat23.html (29.05.2019).