God, Suffering, and the Value of Free Will

Reviews / Votes

Ekstrom's writings focus on issues of responsibility and free will. This book explores philosophical attempts to reconcile God's existence with the existence of suffering and evil....Ekstrom's writing is lucid, and she presents complex philosophical ideas with clarity, looking at the works of those with whom she disagrees charitably and giving them the strongest possible reading. She also argues for paying attention to emotional knowledge and treating evil not simply as a logical problem. This is an important book for students of the philosophy of religion...Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates; graduate students. * CHOICE * Overall the book constitutes a powerful argument with which I recommend all theistic philosophers engage. * Leigh Vicens, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion * This is a courageous book. Laura Ekstrom's treatment of the problem of suffering is far and away the most honest, sensitive, and thoughtful work I have ever seen on the topic. Ekstrom takes on the problem of suffering without flinching, displaying a just appreciation of the extent and nature of pain, all the while evincing a deep sympathy for religious life. This lucid and sensitive work should be read by theists and atheists alike. It's an enormously important contribution to the philosophical literature. * Louise Antony, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst * The free will defense has feet of clay. The problem of evil has left its unquiet grave and stalks anew, a zombie hungry for theist brains. So says Laura Ekstrom (more or less) in this challenging new book. Her arguments deserve a wide readership-and a good answer. * Brian Leftow, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University * Laura Ekstrom is the very rare sort of philosopher who has done important work on both sides of the debate over the problem of evil. This is perhaps part of the explanation for why she is so successful in treating her opponents' positions with the level of care, rigor, and philosophical and theological sensitivity on display in this book. Whereas Ekstrom's earlier work developed what she calls the "divine intimacy" theodicy, this book subjects both theodical and defensive approaches to the problem of evil (including her own) to trenchant critique. It is an important contribution to the literature in philosophy of religion and quite simply the best and most comprehensive anti-theistic treatment of the problem of evil that I have encountered. * Michael Rea, Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame *