Gandhian Theodicy
November 21, 2009
According to Gandhi we have the solutions to all ills on earth as the human race and all that is required is to share (rather than sell). This means then the anticipation and management of natural disasters. And this means also a complete understanding of the human and identification of needs and the provision of those needs.
I think that Kant would like this, for it puts the onus on the humans to utilize this great gift and not to expect God to do any more. And the Christians should like this because it looks at the present condition of the human race as a result of man’s refusal to utilize God’s gift.
In Eden then we have God conveying the way to happiness and mankind rejecting that guidance and deciding to go out on his own. The history of the world then is the effect of mankind trying to do things his own way, and that is the way of selfishness.
Accordingly then the evil of this world is a continuing effect of our selfishness and fear. These result in the human’s turn to violations of Kant’s moral law. And this is the reason that there is so much misery in the world.
For the Christian, I guess, Jesus would be the great gift from God, a life that is untainted by selfishness and fear. And, going further, Paul would be the certain promise to all people that they can become new creatures and live life generously and fearlessly.
And so there we have it. God has given great gifts to the humans and the humans have spurned those gifts (of peace and joy and energy) and as a result have shown themselves to be selfish and fearful with all the ills that ensue from that.
In a word: don’t blame God; blame yourselves, and then do something about it. That would be Gandhi’s theodicy, and Kant joins him in asserting the possibility of a perfect world and calling for energy in attaining it.