Think Essay Prize Competition Prompt 2

​The Royal Institute of Philosophy has announced the prompts for their annual Think Essay Prize, inviting high school students aged 15 to 18 to engage with profound philosophical questions. This competition offers young thinkers a platform to explore complex ideas and showcase their analytical skills.​

Essay Prompts for 2025:

Participants are asked to submit essays of no more than 1,200 words on one of the following topics:

1. Plato suggests we are trapped in a world of shadows and only philosophical reflection can provide knowledge. Is there any truth to this view?​

2. Does the existence of evil provide good evidence God does not exist?​

3. Do 'objective values' exist?​

4. Could a person migrate from one human body to another, as some movies suggest (e.g., Freaky Friday)

5. What ethical responsibilities do we have towards future generations (e.g., creating a cleaner environment, reducing pollution)? If you believe we don't have these responsibilities, explain why.​

6. Do we have freedom of speech? Should we?

Submission Guidelines:

• Essays must be original works, written in English, and should not exceed 1,200 words.​

• Submissions should avoid notes and references; if mentioning an article or book, include the author's name and title within the main text.​

• The deadline for submissions is midnight on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.​

Detailed submission guidelines and the entry form are available on the Royal Institute of Philosophy's website. ​

Benefits of Participation:

The Think Essay Prize is a prestigious competition that encourages critical thinking and philosophical inquiry among high school students. The winner's essay will be published in an upcoming issue of Think, providing recognition and exposure. Shortlisted candidates will receive a year's free subscription to the journal, and additional prizes will be awarded to those who make the longlist.

Engaging in this competition not only enhances one's philosophical understanding but also demonstrates a commitment to intellectual exploration—a quality highly regarded by university admissions committees.​ It is an extracurricular that will move the needle of admissions officers in the right direction.

Here is a list of sources for addressing the second prompt: Does the existence of evil provide good evidence God does not exist?​

Historical Resources

1. Epicurus, "The Problem of Evil" (341-270 BCE)

   • Presents what's now called the "Epicurean paradox" or "trilemma"

   • If God is willing to prevent evil but unable, he's not omnipotent

   • If God is able but unwilling, he's malevolent

   • If God is both willing and able, why does evil exist?

2. Augustine of Hippo, "Enchiridion" and "City of God" (4th-5th century)

   • Develops the "privation theory" of evil (evil as absence of good)

   • Argues evil results from free will and is not a positive force but a corruption of good

   • Proposes natural evil serves divine purposes we cannot fully understand

3. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologica" (13th century)

   • Develops the concept of theodicy (defense of God's goodness despite evil)

   • Argues God permits evil to bring about greater goods

   • Distinguishes between primary causality (God) and secondary causality (natural causes)

4. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, "Theodicy" (1710)

   • Argues we live in "the best of all possible worlds"

   • Evil is necessary for certain goods to exist

   • Introduces distinction between metaphysical, physical, and moral evil

5. David Hume, "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion" (1779)

   • Character Philo offers a powerful critique of theodicies

   • Argues the evidence of nature suggests an indifferent creator at best

   • Questions why a perfect God would create an imperfect world

6. Immanuel Kant, "On the Failure of All Attempted Philosophical Theodicies" (1791)

   • Rejects theoretical proofs about God's relation to evil

   • Argues theodicy should be approached from practical/moral reasoning

   • Proposes faith as a rational response despite evil

Contemporary Resources

1. J.L. Mackie, "Evil and Omnipotence" (1955)

   • Presents the logical problem of evil as a contradiction in theistic beliefs

   • Argues the existence of evil is logically incompatible with God's omnipotence and goodness

   • Challenges the free will defense

2. Alvin Plantinga, "God, Freedom, and Evil" (1974)

   • Develops the "free will defense" against the logical problem of evil

   • Argues it's possible God could not create a world with free beings who never choose evil

   • Distinguishes between "defense" (possible explanation) and "theodicy" (actual explanation)

3. Marilyn McCord Adams, "Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God" (1999)

   • Addresses the problem of "horrendous evils" (evils that seem to defeat meaning in life)

   • Argues only intimate relationship with God can ultimately defeat such evils

   • Critiques purely abstract philosophical approaches to evil

4. Peter van Inwagen, "The Problem of Evil" (2006)

   • Presents the "skeptical theist" perspective

   • Argues human limitations prevent us from knowing why God permits evil

   • Challenges assumptions about what an all-good God would do

5. William Rowe, "The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism" (1979)

   • Presents the evidential problem of evil (evil makes God's existence improbable)

   • Focuses on apparently gratuitous suffering in nature

   • Argues that no adequate theodicy exists for certain instances of suffering

6. John Hick, "Evil and the God of Love" (1966)

   • Develops "soul-making theodicy" based on Irenaeus

   • Argues evil and suffering are necessary for moral and spiritual development

   • Reframes theodicy around human transformation rather than the Fall

7. Eleonore Stump, "Wandering in Darkness" (2010)

   • Uses narrative to approach suffering and evil

   • Argues divine hiddenness and suffering can deepen relationship with God

   • Integrates Thomas Aquinas's thought with contemporary philosophy

8. Stephen Wykstra, "The Humean Obstacle to Evidential Arguments from Suffering" (1984)

   • Develops "CORNEA" principle (Condition Of Reasonable Epistemic Access)

   • Argues we cannot identify "gratuitous" evil due to cognitive limitations

   • Key text in skeptical theism

Key Questions to Consider

1. Logical vs. Evidential Problem: Is the argument about logical incompatibility between God and evil, or about evil providing evidence against God's existence?

2. Definition of Evil: How do you define evil? As a privation of good? As suffering? As moral wrongdoing?

3. Divine Attributes: Which divine attributes create tension with evil's existence? (omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence)

4. Free Will: Does human free will adequately explain moral evil? Can it be extended to natural evil?

5. Higher Goods: Are there goods that could not exist without the possibility of evil?

6. Gratuitous Evil: Can all instances of suffering be justified by greater goods, or do some appear gratuitous?

7. Theological Framework: How does your theological framework (if any) shape your approach? (e.g., Fall-based theodicy vs. soul-making theodicy)

8. Epistemic Limitations: Do human cognitive limitations prevent us from identifying truly gratuitous evils?

9. Scope of the Argument: Does the argument apply equally to all conceptions of God or only to specific ones?

10. Alternatives: If evil provides evidence against God's existence, what alternative worldview better explains both good and evil?

For a 1200-word essay, you'll need to focus on a specific angle rather than attempting to address all these resources and questions. Consider structuring your essay around either a critical analysis of one major approach (like Plantinga's free will defense) or a comparison of two contrasting views (like Mackie versus Plantinga).

If you want help winning this competition, schedule a complimentary consultation with an expert philosophy essay writing coach today.