Volume 36, Issue 1, January 2019
Tyler Paytas
Pages 56-80
https://doi.org/10.5840/faithphil2019116117
Of Providence and Puppet Shows
Divine Hiddenness as Kantian Theodicy
Although the free-will reply to divine hiddenness is often associated with Kant, the argument typically presented in the literature is not the strongest Kantian response. Kant¡¯s central claim is not that knowledge of God would preclude the possibility of transgression, but rather that it would preclude one¡¯s viewing adherence to the moral law as a genuine sacrifice of self-interest. After explaining why the Kantian reply to hiddenness is superior to standard formulations, I argue that, despite Kant¡¯s general skepticism about theodicy, his insights pertaining to hiddenness also provide the foundation for a new theodicy that merits serious attention.