John Leslie Mackie
Evil makes belief in a God both all-powerful and wholly good incoherent.
Life
Australian philosopher (Sydney 1917 - Oxford 1981), who ended his career at the University of Oxford (University College). In "Evil and Omnipotence" (1955) he presented the problem of evil as a logical contradiction for theism. In Ethics (1977) he argues that there are no objective values: morality is invented, not discovered.
Main works
Argues that evil is logically incompatible with an omnipotent and wholly good God.
Defends the error theory: our moral judgements claim an objectivity that does not exist.
Posthumous book: examines the arguments for and against God's existence and concludes against.
In his own words
« In its simplest form the problem is this: God is omnipotent; God is wholly good; and yet evil exists. »
« There are no objective values. »
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceThe arguments for God fail, and evil makes a God both all-powerful and wholly good incoherent.
Mackie, The Miracle of Theism (1982)
There are no objective moral values in the world; moral judgments claim something that is never true (error theory).
Mackie, Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (1977)
Belief in God should be judged like any other hypothesis, by the arguments and evidence, and it fails.
Mackie, The Miracle of Theism (1982)