The Fawn That Never Was

What follows is a dialogue about “Rowe’s fawn”–a case of suffering that is supposed to be one of the thorniest difficulties for a theist. The thorniness derives from the fact that the fawn and its suffering are unknown to us. This precludes any justification of God’s permitting her suffering that appeals to its impact on us. The theistic character, Nahum, provides a novel, powerful and simple reply: there have been no suffering fawns who were unknown to us. Rowe’s fawn never was. What’s unique about Nahum’s development of this reply is twofold: (a) it holds true whatever one’s antecedent commitments vis-a-vis theism/atheism, and (b) it requires no skepticism about ordinary appearances.