For hundreds of years, philosophers and intellects have pondered over the question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Most of history's great philosophers have stumbled upon this question at one time or another in their writings.
J. L. Mackie was no different, and in his writing of "Evil and Omnipotence," attempts to formulate an argument on this topic.
J. L. Mackie's main argument can be states as follows:.
1. God is an omnipotent, omniscient, and a wholly good being.
2. An omnipotent being is capable of doing anything.
3. An omniscient being knows everything.
4. A wholly good being desires no evil.
5. If God new everything about evil, had the power to destroy all evil, and had the .
desire to destroy all evil, then there would be no evil.
6. God has made men so that they have the free will to choose either good or evil.
7. If it is logically possible for a man to choose good one time, then it should.
be logically possible for a man to always choose the good.
8. Surely a wholly and omnipotent god would choose this option (7).
9. Since there is evil in this world then an omnipotent and wholly good god does.
not exist.
A valid argument is such that if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. In sense of the definition, the above argument of Mackie can clearly be seen as valid. Mackie's argument is also extremely convincing. Mackie basically argues that it seems logically possible that God would have the power to grant us our free will, but also that our free will would include no acts of evil. But since God did allow evil to exist in our free will, this contradicts the idea that God is an omnipotent and wholly good being. In a recent philosophy class, a point was made about heaven. Since one is able to fathom the idea of heaven, in which free will exists with no evil, couldn't God have created a world so that all of the choices that one makes are good, or that humans find choosing evil less tempting then they currently do? This is what Mackie's argument attempts to prove.
Evil Cannot Exist. ... How can evil exist if it is not good? These questions are the exact reason that Augustine concludes that evil does not exist. It cannot exist simply because if it does exists it must be good. ... In reality evil could not exist for it is not good. ...
A STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL It is typical for a person's character to change according to their environment. ... Jekyll, a scientist who by night takes on his stunted evil self, Mr. ... Hyde, the more evil character. ... Stevenson shows that the two characters need each other, despite the confliction of good and evil. Throughout the story, Stevenson proves that a conflict between good and evil exists. ...
Potential Evil of Man Evil, is an inborn predisposition that lurks within humans. One may think, "A newly born baby isnt evil. ... The only difference between a baby and an adult is that a baby simply hasnt uncover the evil, while adult, knowing the potential evil, is trying to restraint it. ... Consider this question: if evil doesnt exist, are rules necessary? ... Men are evil. ...
With all of Hyde's evil built up inside, it unravels in the worst possible way. ... Hyde is 100%, scientifically created, the evil side of Jekyll. ... Jekyll is terrified of Hyde's evil urges; so much so, that he doesn't know what to do with Hyde. ... Hyde had disappeared out of the ken of the police as though he had never existed"" (34). ... Many were joyous that Hyde fled, as they were acting as if he was unimportant and never existed. ...
Can good and evil exist without each other? ... In a fantasy a good person is matched up against an evil person. ... We should embrace the good and evil in the world. ... In conclusion, good and evil must exist in the world together in order to survive. If not for evil in the world we would not know what is good. ...
If we define "evil" and "good" as opposites, and determine that good will always try to destroy evil, we can conclude that an all-powerful and good being would get rid of all evil; since this is not the case, an omnipotent good being cannot exist. ... Some people choose not to believe in the omnipotence of God; others argue that evil does not really exist. ... One of these arguments claims that good cannot exist without evil. ... If something can be called good or evil without a comparison to something else, then good can exist without evil. ... Moreover, even if good couldn't exist ...
Such a God would not let evil cease to exist if he is almighty and powerful. ... Given the existence of evil, it is impossible for God to exist. ... If God exists there is not evil. 6. ... There is no God It is logically impossible to believe that both evil and a good and powerful God exist in the same reality, for such a God certainly could and would destroy evil. ... God has to allow people to make decisions rooted towards evil, therefore it may not be within God's power to create a world of free creatures where evil does not exist. ...
Thus, it is argued that evil exists out of pure necessity to test the human psyche. Now that we have been able to understand, why I ask you does evil need to exist? Evil exists out of necessity, but shouldn't be misconstrued as the opposite of good. ... If evil did not need to exist, why would an incarnate of God felt the moral evils of the human world? The world cannot exist without evil; very similarly it cannot exist without day and night. ...
Why Does Evil Exist? ... We believe that more than likely there is a God yet evil still exists. ... God does however have reasons for allowing evil to exist. ... Evil exists in order for us to live our lives so as to ensure our moral character is steadfast. ... The existence of evil however does not mean that God does not exist. ...
