Expert: Vincent M. Wales - 7/20/2010

Question
I ***love*** the succinct quote attributed to Epicurus regarding evil. The reply of religious people is that "From whence comes evil" is "from man's free will to sin". Is there a quote that addresses their reply and shuts them down some more? Offhand, I thought "A good workman does not blame his tools!", but there must be better responses.

Answer
Jim:

The problem with relying on succinct little quotes is that it's easy to ignore them, to brush them off as inconsequential.  So, no, I do not know of one offhand that will shut down the "free will" reply.  But I do know an utterly decimating response, though it takes a bit of explanation.

The response itself is simple:  If there is an omnipotent god who created us, we do not have free will.  Period, end of story.  Now, getting the theist to accept this will be difficult, but it doesn't change the logical truth of it.

If an omnipotent (which, by definition, must include omniscient) deity, created all things, and knew everything since before time began (as is so commonly asserted by the theistic camp), then every action of ours, every thought of ours, was old news to God a bajillion years before our grandparents were born.  There is NOTHING we can think, do, say, feel, or in any way conceive that God didn't know we would, way back then.  And since he created us, knowing we were going to do these things, we were therefore programmed TO do them.  We are incapable of doing anything that would surprise him.  Ergo, free will is a myth.  At best, it's an illusion granted to us.  But still a myth.