Nature - Red in Tooth and Claw - Theism and the Prob. of Animal Suffering

221 Pages·2008·1.151 MB·English

by  M. Murray

NATURE RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW
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Nature Red
in Tooth and Claw:
Theism and the Problem of Animal Suffering
MICHAEL J. MURRAY
1
1
GreatClarendonStreet,Oxfordox26dp
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Acknowledgments
Thisprojectwasinitiallyspawnedthroughconversationwitharelentlessgroupof
undergraduatestudentsinanintroductoryphilosophyofreligioncourseatFrank-
linandMarshallCollegein2001.Ipromisedthemthatifthoseconversationsever
ledtoabook,theywouldbecreditedbyname.Iherebydischargethatobligation:
Brooke Anderson, Amoreena Bua, Chris Casalenuovo, Erin Colgan, Virginia
Dearborn, Carolyn Erb, Keith Gibbs, Katherine Kimber, Rachel Kovenetsky,
SethModesto,MaryamNamdari,TimPatterson,BrettRubin,GeraldStoltzfoos,
SamanthaStrickler,KellyTrefaller,KristenValpreda,andSeanWelski.
In addition, a draft of the entire manuscript was discussed by an astute
undergraduate audience in an upper-division seminar at Franklin and Marshall
in 2005. Their feedback was invaluable and I would like to acknowledge them
bynameaswell:JeffBaron,BenBurghart,BenDonahower,BradEagle,Andrew
Goldberg,TimLiu,DanOakes,BryanSmall,andHaileyStrobel.
My colleague Glenn Ross joined this blossoming discussion in the summer
of 2001, and shortly afterwards we co-authored an essay which became the
backbone for Chapter 2 of this book. I am deeply indebted to Glenn for long
hoursofconversationandargumentwhichledtothatchapterandwhichfurther
helpedmeworkoutsomeofmyownthoughtsthatformedmuchofthecoreof
Chapter1.IfurtherwishtothankhimandtheeditorsatFaithandPhilosophyfor
allowingthereuse ofsomeofthematerialfromtheoriginalco-authoredarticle
here.Thatarticleappearedunderthetitle‘Neo-CartesianTheodiciesofAnimal
Suffering’ (Faith and Philosophy, 23 (April 2006), 169–90). We would jointly
like to thank many who offered constructive criticism of that paper at various
stages of development, especially Bennett Helm, Peter van Inwagen, Nicholas
Wolterstorff, Michael Rea, Carl Gillett, Fred Crosson, Todd Long, and Kevin
Timpe.Inaddition,wearegratefultotheaudiencesatthe‘PersonsandFreedom’
conference at Indiana University in 2002 and at the Notre Dame Center for
PhilosophyofReligionReadingGroupin2004forspiriteddiscussionsonearlier
versionsofthepaper.Finally,theinitialspadeworkonthehistoricalbackground
for that chapter (and indeed much of the rest of the book) was carried out by
Franklin and Marshall student Sarah Berson, who was generously supported in
herendeavorsbytheFranklinandMarshallHackmanScholarsProgram.Daniel
Garber,RogerAriew,andTadSchmaltzalsoprovidedmewithhelpfulguidance
concerningmaterialonthistopicfromthemodernperiod.
Thebulkofthefirstdraftofthebookwaswrittenduring2003–4,whileIwas
inresidenceattheNotreDameCenterforPhilosophyofReligion.Iamdeeply
indebtedtotheCenterandtheUniversityfortheirgeneroussupportduringthat
year.Researchduringthatyearwasalsosupportedthroughsabbaticalfundingby
viii Acknowledgments
FranklinandMarshall.Theirunwaveringsupportforfacultyresearchisamodel
forliberal-artscolleges.
EarlyversionsofChapters3and6benefitedsignificantlyfromquestionsand
comments of the audiences at two venues at which they were presented: the
Evangelical Philosophical Society Annual Meeting in November of 2005 and
a colloquium at Purdue University in March of 2005, respectively. An early
versionofChapter4waspresentedatWestmontCollegeinFebruaryof2006.I
amespeciallygratefulforhelpfulcommentsfromJeffreySchlossandDavidvan
derLaanatthattime.
I owe a special debt of gratitude to Daniel Howard-Snyder, who offered
extensiveandrelentlesscriticismofthepenultimatedraftofthebookwhichled
to a substantial overhaul of many of the chapters and indeed the very structure
ofthebook.MichaelReaand WilliamHasker also providedhelpfulcomments
onearlierdraftsoftheentiremanuscript.
Finally,Iamindebtedtomyfamily,Kirsten,Sam,Elise,andJulia,forputting
up with a year-long move to South Bend in order to allow me to complete the
work on this book. Without their gracious willingness to endure a new house,
new schools, and new health clubs (and new pizza shops!), this project would
never have come to completion. Their adventurous spirits keep me going. For
theirsakeletmeadd:GoIrish.
Contents
ListofAbbreviations x
Introduction 1
1. ProblemsofandExplanationsforEvil 10
2. Neo-Cartesianism 41
3. AnimalSufferingandtheFall 73
4. Nobility,Flourishing,andImmortality:AnimalPainandAnimal
Well-being 107
5. NaturalEvil,NomicRegularity,andAnimalSuffering 130
6. Chaos,Order,andEvolution 166
7. CombiningCDs 193
Bibliography 200
Index 207