Lewiss classic is still the most wideranging, accessible, and cogent response to the problem of evil. In other words, no one does anything evil, so evil does not exist. A nd it is a logical problem, th e problem of clarifying an d reconciling a num ber of beliefs. Oct 04, 2016 what is mackies form of the logical problem of evil explain the greater good response to mackies argument explain the logically impossible response to the criticism of the greater good argument. In his bestselling book when bad things happen to good people, rabbi. Mar 12, 2007 peter van inwagens the problem of evil is a fairly short book, but only about half of it is devoted to his answer to the problem of evil. Adequatehalfheartedfallacious mackie says can be dealt with by rejecting the principle that a good being eliminates evil as far as it can. Mackies views on this socalled logical problem of evil prompted alvin plantinga to respond with his version of. Mackies argument against the free will defense is twofold. He formulated the ontological argument mackies triad. The first is essentially based on his rejection of incompatiblism, i. The obvious response is to reject premise 5 and claim that god must respect the free will of agents as a necessary evil to achieve the just end of freedom. The author explains one of the most wellknown response to mackies version of the logical problem of evil, the freewill defense by alvin plantinga. Mackies objection to the free will defense will g in this essay i am going to discuss one of the more important objections to the free will theodicy, that one that alleges god could create perfect people, and suggest a little known, unorthodox but probably acceptable defense to the problem.
The problem of evil oxford readings in philosophy 1st. Chung phi 2011 2 march 2006 the problem of evil to some evil is necessary for. Firstly there is evil that does not originate from the choices and actions of moral agents, such as natural evils disasters, diseases, accidents, etc. Aug 20, 2019 this essay on john mackie and alvin plantinga arguments on the problem of evil was written and submitted by user trey dillon to help you with your own studies. The second response to the problem of evil is that the existence of evil is a necessary condition for the existence of certain kinds of good. The basic idea here is that at least many kinds of evil are not the result of gods actions, but of the free actions of human beings. More often than not, the first response to the problem of evil is what i call the free will excuse. Compassion, for instance, is of great value, but can only exist if there is suffering. The problem of evil stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Augustine, in his book confessions, recognised this problem.
Plantinga presents the logical problem of evil as set out by the famous philosopher j. Skeptical theism defends the problem of evil by asserting that god allows an evil to happen in order to prevent a greater evil or to encourage a response that will lead to a greater good. Responses to the problem of evil have occasionally been classified as defences or theodicies. It asks the simple but profound question, if god exists why is the world characterized by death, disease. But the theist is not prepared to affirm any of those things. Mackies objection to the free will defense blogger. This problem makes the existence of a traditional god extremely unlikely, and it makes a belief in one, irrational at best. Plantingas argument is a defense against the logical problem of evil as formulated by the philosopher j.
What makes this critical book so impressive and excellent is mackies astute. Unlike plantingas response to the logical problem of evil, which is merely a defense that is, a negative attempt to undermine a certain atheological argument without offering a positive account of why god allows evil and suffering, hicks response is a theodicy that is, a more comprehensive attempt to account for why god is. The philosophical problem of evil is the challenge of reconciling belief in god with evil in the. Analysis of j l mackie s evil and omnipotence free essays.
L mackie introduction mackies argument the proposed solution to be discussed and mackies response to it is the claim that evil is due to human free will and as such it cannot be attributed to god. There are no limits on what an omnipotent being can do. However, the existence of evil and suffering in the world provides a challenge to the loving god of classical theism. Although he admits that these solutions work up to a point, mackie describes them as halfhearted because, he argues, they dont take the idea of evil seriously eno. The main point of leibnizs philosophy is that god, in creating the world, he created the best of all possible worlds. Phil 201 study guide lesson 20 the problem of evil superb. Reviewed by michael ruse, florida state university almost twenty years ago, i wrote a little book on the relationship between darwinism and. If evil exists and god exists, then either god doesnt have the power to eliminate all evil, or doesnt know when evil exists, or doesnt have the desire to eliminate all evil. Phil 201 study guide lesson 20 the problem of evil study guide lesson 20. There is nothing logically impossible about not sinning. When problems are found with proofs for gods existence, believers can claim that god is known in some other, nonrational way b. In 1955 he published evil and omnipotence which summarized his view that belief in the existence of evil and an allpowerful, allknowing and allgood god be positively irrational. Mackie argued that theism can be disproved like so.
Peter van inwagens the problem of evil is a fairly short book, but only about half of it is devoted to his answer to the problem of evil. May 09, 2016 after weeks of exploring the existence of nature of god, today hank explores one of the biggest problems in theism, and possibly the biggest philosophical question humanity faces. In preparing your essay, you should reread mackies discussion of the problem of evil evil and omnipotence. Dec 24, 2009 read this philosophy essay and over 89,000 other research documents. Mackie the problem of evil, according to mackie, is that the following set of propositions is inconsistent. One version of this problem includes animal suffering from natural evil, such as the violence and fear faced by animals from predators, natural disasters, over the history of evolution.
Mackie stated that the following three propositions cannot all be true at the same time. For this reason, mackie does not think that they are of any help to the theologian trying to respond to the problem of evil. The problem of evil is an argument that shows that god cannot be either allpowerful, allknowing, andor all good. Reviewed by michael ruse, florida state university almost twenty years ago, i wrote a little book on the relationship between darwinism and christianity ruse 2001. This is the problem that alvin plantinga takes to task in his celebrated response to the problem of evil. Theodicies attempt to rationalise evil whilst retaining the key attributes of god omnipotence and omnibenevolence in a response to the logical problem for the existence of evil which states that it is logically impossible that evil exists if god has the traditional attributes. Like mackies other works, it is forcefully argued and for the most part clearly written. Mackie in his famous article, evil and omnipotence. Mackies evil and omnipotence essay 1652 words 7 pages j. Let me add a cautionary note before getting started. After weeks of exploring the existence of nature of god, today hank explores one of the biggest problems in theism, and possibly the biggest philosophical question humanity faces. Apr 20, 2008 theodicies attempt to rationalise evil whilst retaining the key attributes of god omnipotence and omnibenevolence in a response to the logical problem for the existence of evil which states that it is logically impossible that evil exists if god has the traditional attributes. But plantinga does not need a successful theodicy to defeat mackies logical problem of evil. Mackie, and to which the freewill defense responds.
Mackies evil and omnipotence the arguments for and against god has prevailed throughout the history of humankind. Generally, a defense against the problem of evil may refer to attempts to defuse the logical problem of evil by showing that there is no logical incompatibility between the existence of evil and the existence of god. It will provide a solid introduction and contains a plethora of footnotes for further study. Philosophers are passionately ready to debate about the topic of the existence of god, as this is one of the philosophical topics of discussion that has remained timeless, in that it has not become obsolete. I believe that it is a valid argument to renounce some views that traditional theism sets forward. Phil 201 study guide lesson 20 the problem of evil. Oct 04, 2010 in 1955, he wrote an important article on the problem of evil entitled.
If you do not know what mackies logical problem of evil is, and plantingas response or, rowes argument and wykstras response then you should buy this book. Good is opposed to evil in such a way that a good thing always eliminates evil as far as it can. There are a number of character traits that are valuable only if evil exists. Sep 12, 2009 thus the problem of evil is reduced to the theodicity that this is the best of all possible worlds a quiteliterally ridiculous statement, but not a selfcontradicting one. Mackie wrote a very convincing piece on the problem of evil called evil and omnipotence, in which he attempts to show that one of the following premises must be false in order for them to be consistent with each other. Nov 28, 2011 john mackie s evil and omnipotence philosophy 101. Jul 18, 2006 mackie s objection to the free will defense will g in this essay i am going to discuss one of the more important objections to the free will theodicy, that one that alleges god could create perfect people, and suggest a little known, unorthodox but probably acceptable defense to the problem. The problem with using the logical problem of evil posted on december 31, 20 by aremonstrantsramblings i suppose it must be true for most areas of life but its sometimes hard to take when one sees such a disparity between where academics are in. Problem of evil proves belief in god irrational not just nonrational a. Mackies definition of the problem the problem of evil is god is omnipotent, god is wholly good, and yet evil exists.
Explain the greater good response to mackies argument. John mackie and alvin plantinga arguments on the problem of. Mackie and mccloskey can be understood as claiming that it is impossible for all of the. Although he admits that these solutions work up to a point, mackie describes them as halfhearted because, he argues, they dont take the idea of evil seriously enough. Chapter 1 jobs complaint and the whirlwinds answer.
The main problem, however, lies in a different direction. When problems are found with proofs for gods existence, believers can claim that god is known in some other, nonrational way. According to incompatibility or logical versions of the problem of evil, e is logically incompatible with gods existence mackie 1955. The problem with using the logical problem of evil. A problem i see is that even in mackies world, where every agent makes the morally best choice and takes the morally best action, the problem of evil still arises. In section a, mackie outlines the adequate solutions offered by some religious thinkers. Why are there sinners augustines response to mackie jstor. Mar 01, 20 the author interacts primarily with the logical problem of evil as expounded by j. The logical problem of evil centers on the apparent inconsistency of the following two propositions. Mackie on the problem of evil university of notre dame. Though it seems improbable and odd, it is logically conceivable, so it is, therefore, logically possible. One of the points made by the book of job in the bible is that such is not the case.
In the first chapter he discusses various senses of the term, problem of evil. John mackie on the problem of evil in philosophy and theology. The problem of evil has also been extended beyond human suffering, to include suffering of animals from cruelty, disease and evil. Mackies evil and omnipotence essay 1652 words bartleby. John leslie mackie fba 25 august 191712 december 1981 was an australian philosopher. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and wholly good, and there is evil in the world. Evil should instead be attributed to the free actions of individuals, the power of which has been endowed upon them by god. The problem, in short, is that any axiological formulation of the argument from evil, as it stands, is incomplete in a crucial respect, since it fails to make explicit how a failure to bring about good states of affairs, or a failure to prevent bad states of affairs, entails that one is acting in a morally wrong way. The greatest virtue to this book is also its greatest vice. Leibniz denies the premises 1whoever does not choose the best is lacking in power, knowledge, or goodness 2god did not choose the best in creating the world 3 therefore, god has been lacking in power, knowledge, or goodness. Perhaps it will be frustrating to be told that i do not intend to answer these questions. Apr 22, 2016 a problem i see is that even in mackie s world, where every agent makes the morally best choice and takes the morally best action, the problem of evil still arises. God is perfect so the world has no flaws evil is a privation of good so god cannot be blamed.
Mackie agrees that the problem for the theist can be solved by giving up one of the three propositions. Dont let its analytical tone make you forget, as many do, that its author lost his mother in childhood and fought on the frontlines of the first world war. Even the book of proverbs, despite its occasional flashes of cynicism. His discussion of each is intended to make clear the reasons for which they fail to address the real problem. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper. Mackie s world is a possible world where all free agents choose to do the morally good action with every choice. The monotheistic god of christianity, judaism and islam assumes the divine qualities of omnipotence, omniscience and omni benevolence. According to john hick, mackie s argument constitutes a major criticism of augustines free will defence in response to the problem of evil. There are no limits to what an omnipotent being can do. In a nutshell, the free will excuse basically has two facets. My top 5 books on the problem of evil christianity today. This is also referred to as the darwinian problem of evil, after charles. That this argument is valid is perhaps most easily seen by a reductio argument. The problem of evil, in th e sense in w hich i shall be using th e phrase, is a problem only for someone w ho believes th at there is a g od w ho is both om nipotent an d w holly good.
The traditional discussion of good and evil is confused because unfortunate physical events and a certain type of disapproved behavior are lumped together as evil. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Within the philosophy of religion the problem of evil is generally recognized to be the strongest argument against theism belief in an allpowerful, allknowing and allgood god. This volume fills that need, offering the most up to date collection of recent scholarship on the problem of evil.
The author interacts primarily with the logical problem of evil as expounded by j. Mackie s argument against the free will defense is twofold. In a widely discussed piece entitled evil and omnipotence john mackie repeats this claim. Problem of evil responses introduction to philosophy. Alvin plantingas freewill defense is a logical argument developed by the american analytic philosopher alvin plantinga and published in its final version in his 1977 book god, freedom, and evil. In either case, this solution usually starts from the assumption that the evil whose existence gives rise to the problem of evil is primarily what is called physical evil, that is to say, pain.
New philosophical directions brings together a diversity of philosophical views, methods, and approaches to the muchdiscussed topic of evil and its bearing on religious belief. Sterba, ethics and the problem of evil, indiana university press, 2017, 171pp. But even if evil 2 could be explained in this way, it is fairly clear that there would be third order evils contrasting with this third order good. In humes rather halfhearted presentation of the problem of evil, the evils that he stresses are pain and disease. The problem of evil is one of the most discussed topics in the philosophy of religion. The problem of evil in this essay, i will examine the argument for the problem of evil, a possible theodicy against the argument, and reply to the theodicy. Through both general and specific examinations of the problem of evil, this book proposes new directions for philosophical thought. Mackie actually had a very good response to the free will defense that you did not address. We must understand with this that good is opposed to evil, that a good bring always eliminates an evil thing as. For some time, however, there has been a need for a collection of readings that adequately represents recent and ongoing writing on the topic. Plantinga denies that and are inconsistent, arguing that j.
Logical problem of evil internet encyclopedia of philosophy. This volume fills that need, offering the most uptodate collection of recent scholarship on the problem of evil. That evil the problem of evil is an issue that is entirely too overlooked and dismissed by most christians. In 1955, he wrote an important article on the problem of evil entitled. Thus a rape or a murder of an innocent child is defended as having a gods purpose that a human being may not comprehend, but which may lead to lesser evil. Mackie spends most of the article considering various responses to this question. Many people immediately respond to the problem of evil, as stated above, by saying that the problem with the argument is that it ignores free well. Concerning religion, he was well known for vigorously defending atheism, and also arguing that the problem of evil made untenable the main monotheistic religions see, for example, mackie 1982. You arent required to discuss mackies views, but one strategy you are encouraged to take is to ask yourself what mackie would say in response to swinburne and frame your discussion as a debate. A wholly good being is opposed to evil in such a way that it eliminates evil as far as it can. That means that believing in e and believing in god is like believing in a fivesided square.