From the moment man stepped foot on the porous soil of earth, an inner-voice began to awaken from within the confines of cerebral tissue; a compelling force that enables man to chose between both what is right, and that which is not. Is it a higher power, or the complex mechanics of evolution that is to blame for the establishment of this subconscious observer? Did the creative force bestowing mankind with such a powerful tool know the extent to which it would be used? As impossible as these questions appear to answer, it is evident that this concealed power is a seemingly inherent motivating influence in human decision-making. For the sake of argument and the purpose of this paper, this intuitive metaphysical force will be regarded as free-will,
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An Australian philosopher by the name of John Mackie realized a powerful inconsistency between the reality of an omnipotent (all mighty) being and the presence of free will in man, particularly those that carry out malicious acts. In his book Evil and Omnipotence (1955), Mackie disputes the existence of God based on the presence of evil within the world, stating that it is an “illogical contradiction” to believe both that an omnipotent God exists, and evil also exists in the world. Further, if it is true that God is the epitome of good and the creator of free-will, malevolent acts amongst mankind should be non-existent, or abolished entirely. This paper will strive to further Mackie’s argument, providing supporting evidence to the paradox and proof that evil existing in the presence of God defies the laws of …show more content…
Theologians agree with this story, supporting the notion that God in his all-mighty and unlimited glory is the creator of all things good and bad. Mackie did not agree with this, claiming that the reality of immoral acts is rationally conflicting with the presence of an all-powerful, virtuous God. To further his argument, he believed that theism could be refuted based on discrepancies of the following four principles (from Evil and Omnipotence, 1955): (1) If God exists, he is fully good and all-powerful; (2) A good being will always eliminate evil; (3) There are no limits to what God can do; (4) Evil exists, therefore God does not. To counter Mackie’s proposition, a theologian might attack premise two, stating that not all evil is morally wrong, or that there are in fact limits to Gods creative power. However, if this were to be true, if there are limits to His creative power, then by definition it would be illogical to regard God as all-mighty; since evil exists as a consequence of His shortcomings. To further his argument, Mackie considered that there could not be any ethically sound reason for God to permit evil, let alone create it in the first place. Alvin Plantinga (in God, Freedom, and Evil, 1974) disagrees, believing that God created evil in this world for good reason, and it is counterintuitive
An Australian philosopher by the name of John Mackie realized a powerful inconsistency between the reality of an omnipotent (all mighty) being and the presence of free will in man, particularly those that carry out malicious acts. In his book Evil and Omnipotence (1955), Mackie disputes the existence of God based on the presence of evil within the world, stating that it is an “illogical contradiction” to believe both that an omnipotent God exists, and evil also exists in the world. Further, if it is true that God is the epitome of good and the creator of free-will, malevolent acts amongst mankind should be non-existent, or abolished entirely. This paper will strive to further Mackie’s argument, providing supporting evidence to the paradox and proof that evil existing in the presence of God defies the laws of …show more content…
Theologians agree with this story, supporting the notion that God in his all-mighty and unlimited glory is the creator of all things good and bad. Mackie did not agree with this, claiming that the reality of immoral acts is rationally conflicting with the presence of an all-powerful, virtuous God. To further his argument, he believed that theism could be refuted based on discrepancies of the following four principles (from Evil and Omnipotence, 1955): (1) If God exists, he is fully good and all-powerful; (2) A good being will always eliminate evil; (3) There are no limits to what God can do; (4) Evil exists, therefore God does not. To counter Mackie’s proposition, a theologian might attack premise two, stating that not all evil is morally wrong, or that there are in fact limits to Gods creative power. However, if this were to be true, if there are limits to His creative power, then by definition it would be illogical to regard God as all-mighty; since evil exists as a consequence of His shortcomings. To further his argument, Mackie considered that there could not be any ethically sound reason for God to permit evil, let alone create it in the first place. Alvin Plantinga (in God, Freedom, and Evil, 1974) disagrees, believing that God created evil in this world for good reason, and it is counterintuitive