anthropodicy

English

WOTD – 3 April 2021

Etymology

Blend of anthropo- (prefix meaning ‘human beings, people’) +‎ theodicy (“justification of a deity or of particular attributes of a deity; specifically, a justification of the existence of evil and suffering in the world”). Anthropo- is derived from Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “human being, person; all human beings, mankind”), ultimately possibly Pre-Greek; while the -dicy element of theodicy is from Ancient Greek δῐ́κη (díkē, “justice; judgment, order; law; right”), and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to point out”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌænθɹəʊˈpɒdɪsi/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌænθɹoʊˈpɑdɪsi/
• Hyphenation: an‧thro‧po‧di‧cy

Noun

anthropodicy (countable and uncountable, plural anthropodicies)

1. (Christianity, philosophy) An attempt, or an argument attempting, to justify that human beings are fundamentally good despite the commission of evil acts by some people.
   • 1977, Stephen R[ichard] L[yster] Clark, “Devices of the Heathen”, in The Moral Status of Animals, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 59:

     [T]he next two [devices or arguments] urge that these distresses are the prices paid for certain compensating advantages to the animals, notably existence. I have some difficulty believing that they are seriously intended, for they would, without alteration, justify the vilest imaginable human slavery and oppression. Nor is it generally true nowadays—though once it was—that those who offer such anthropodicies are much impressed by them in their original form, as theodicy.

Coordinate terms

• cosmodicy
• theodicy

Translations

attempt, or argument attempting, to justify that human beings are fundamentally good

• Georgian: ანთროპოდიცეა (antroṗodicea)
• German: Anthropodizee (de)
• Portuguese: antropodiceia f

Further reading

• theodicy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• corytophanid