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

Yıl 2021, , 197 - 224, 31.05.2021

Aykut Alper Yılmaz

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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

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

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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

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

Kaynakça

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