J. L. Mackie on the Logical Problem of Evil Against the Existence of God

[@davec-1378]

I’m not sure how the premises are “quasi logical” If the notion of good is normative? “Good” is what we aught to do, so an all good being would always do the good. If the creator always does the good, there can be no evil.

[@colinpatterson6249]

Thank you very clear and helpful will send students.

[@GordonPettit]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jaskarankhosa8157]

very helpful and clear

[@MyContext]

Would you denote a individual who watches an atrocity that they could stop good? Would you accept as an excuse the idea of there being a greater good for allowing a rape to occur? I am sure that some would claim that the idea of some supposed greater good would be a sufficient defense even as such amounts to appealing to a point of imagination on top of a point of imagination. *Exactly where should the chain of supposings predicated on imagination even start or stop?*

[@emmanuelokorie1209]

Beautiful

[@IsaacAndersonDiesel]

Great Video

[@noahtipton7302]

The last argument seems pretty thin. Couldn't you just respond "then there is the possibility that only evil exists, and that goodness is just the lack of evil." That would mean god would have to be wholly evil and that all the same arguments made by the theist could be used to refute the goodness of their god.

[@GordonPettit]

Keep in mind the burden of proof and intent of discussion. Mackie is trying to show that belief in God is irrational; God and evil both existing is somehow logically inconsistent. All that is needed for a successful reply is to show it is logically possible for God and evil to exist. The God in question is fully good (otherwise Mackie's initial argument does not work anyway). So it has already been granted that we are talking about a fully good God, which provides the basis for the response. (There are also some significant and well established metaphysics about good and evil. . . )

[@noahtipton7302]

@@GordonPettit true. My biggest problem with Mackie is that I don't think Evil or Good are things in the first place. The appear to just be an abstract way to refer to other things and conditions

[@noahtipton7302]

@@GordonPettit basically there is no problem of evil because evil isn't actually a property of anything. And there is no wholly good god because good isn't a property of anything. They are both subjective assessments based on our opinion of the properties of a thing.