Summary Of Evil And Omnipotence By J. L Mackie

In “Evil and Omnipotence”, J.L Mackie argues that solutions provided for the problem of evil are implausible. Mackie claims that the problem of evil is God’s inability to be both omnipotent and omni-benevolent yet have evil exist. This contradiction cannot be physically disproven; and therefore, must be logically disproven. Mackie uses a novel method of providing solutions to this problem and elaborating on their lack of logic. In this paper, I will further explain the problem of evil, expand on the solution “Good cannot exist without evil,” and argue for Mackie’s view against this solution.

The problem of evil is a logical problem that creates a contradiction in the theist’s belief that God is both omnipotent and wholly good. If God were all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good, he would be conscious of all the evil that is present in the world, he would be able to cure the suffering that occurs in our world, and he would want there to be only goodness. However, we are a population encompassed by wickedness and cruelty; thus, we cannot logically agree to a God. This conflict, identified as the problem of evil, is a logical

Mackie starts off by claiming this reply limits God’s supposed abilities. If God is incapable of creating good without also creating evil, then how can God be omnipotent? Logically, he cannot. Mackie also states that the idea of evil being a counterpart to good creates relativism between the two and become forms of comparison. This ignites the idea that God believes not in goodness but in the better. If all were good, we would not be conscious of the idea that all is good, but with evil presented as a comparison to goodness, it strips God of his ability to create goodness and would only “provide a solution to the problem of evil” if one can claim that “Evil exists, but only just enough evil to serve as the counterpart of