JOURNAL ARTICLE CRITIQUE of Tratkakis, Nick “Replies On The Alleged Failure of Free Will Theodicies: A Reply to Tierno” Department of Philosophy, Monash University, Spohia, Vol. 42, No. 2, October 2003

Theo 525 LUO (fall 2013)
Systematic Theology I

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

Jeremy W. Allexon (ID# 25923739)
September 22, 2013

Introduction The purpose of this piece is to conduct an analysis and re-butt Joel Tierno’s argument “that free will only accounts for choices that issue in evil” But fail to account for evil choices. 1 (Trakakis) The paper begins by breaking down Tierno’s argument in logical fashion A+B=C. As he is breaking down the argument Mr. Trakakis ask a series of questions and does not outright disagree with Tierno but provides another prospective.
Brief Summary According to free will theodicists the existence of moral evil is permitted by God so as to preserve human free will, without which a host of significant goods would be unattainable.2 Joel Thomas Tierno ask if such ideas satisfactorily explain and justify God's approval of moral evil 3 & 4 Tierno according to Trakakis fails to understand free will theodicists. 5 Which he goes on to describe well probing Tierno’s argument. Trakakis partitions the piece into sections “Tierno’s ‘Adequacy Argument’ Against Free Will Theodicies” “The Inadequacy of Tierno’s ‘Adequacy Argument’, and ‘The Intelligibility Question’ 6

Critical Interaction Mr. Trakakis talking about two schools of thought. The first one being the Adequacy Argument or that free will is all that is needed to make or desire a choice as purposed by Tierno. The other school of thought being free will theodicists which requires a motive for a choice to occur and that free will is merely pursuit of motive with little to no interference to choices one makes to full fill the motive. 7 The author does