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The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God Paperback – January 13, 1983

by J. L. Mackie (Author)

22 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0198246824 ISBN-10: 019824682X Edition: 1^st

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About the Author

J. L. Mackie is at University College, Oxford.

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Product Details

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (January 13, 1983)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019824682X
ISBN-13: 978-0198246824
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.9 x 5.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #46 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts > Theism
- #5111 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Religious Studies
- #13956 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History

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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star		59%
4 star		23%
3 star		14%
2 star		4%
1 star		0%

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70 of 74 people found the following review helpful

Modern Analytic Arguments for and against God

By D. S. Heersink on April 3, 2002

Format: Paperback

This book, together with Swinburne's "Coherence of Theism," is among the most valuable books on the philosophy of religion from an Anglo-American analytical-philosophical perspective. While Swinburne goes back to Anselm and Aquinas, this book considers mostly post-1500 theodicy, still covering the ontological argument from Descartes' and a posteriori arguments from Hume. The full spectrum of the arguments for and against God are here, including Kant, Newman, Kierkegaard, James, Phillips, Leslie, Kung, et alia.
First, a brief exposition of a philosopher's argument is surveyed, followed by an analysis of where the philosopher's strengths and weaknesses lie. There is even a section on the most notorious of all arguments against the existence of God: the existence of evil. In the final analysis, Mackie believes theism is itself a mircle, hence the title. Overall, this book makes a significant contribution to beginning philosophy students who want a rigorous examination of the crucial questions of God's existence and non-existence. The writing is clear, generally concise, exceptionally well-constructed, and only occasionally labyrinthine.

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27 of 31 people found the following review helpful

Excellent philosophical critique of theism

By M. A. Krul on May 10, 2007

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

The Australian philosopher John Mackie, sadly now deceased, has always been one of my favorite philosophers, and when I heard from several religious people that this was in their view the best critique of religion, I decided to buy it at once. The book is indeed highly rewarding of its praise, for it is the most thorough philosophical (here as opposed to scientific) critique of all (mono)theist apologetics written so far.

Unlike such recent anti-theist writers as Dawkins and Dennett, Mackie is extraordinarily charitable to the theists' claims, making sure to mention every possible argument in their favor and using only counter-arguments that could not possibly be considered controversial or contingent on a given scientific theory, etc. In fact, he is much more charitable in some places than is really necessary; I would not have the same patience with the meaningless phrasings of Swinburne or Küng that Mackie has. In any case, Mackie diligently and cordially addresses each of the main issues surrounding theist apologetics: miracles, the ontological argument, the cosmological arguments (including Kalam), moral arguments, the issue of consciousness, free will, the argument from design, the argument from faith alone (Kierkegaard), the argument from popularity (William James), the problem of evil, the possibility of atheist morality, and so on.

Mackie shows himself at his best here - an impressive array of arguments and decisive counterarguments, even against such modern superstars of apologetics like William Lane Craig and Alvin Plantinga, are dealt with in sequence with seemingly no effort at all.Read more ›

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

Outstanding summary and anlysis

By A Customer on July 12, 1999

Format: Paperback

I use this book with my A-Level Religious Studies students to great effect. It clearly and accurately offers thorough-going criticism of all the usual attempts to justify theism rationally. His section on the Problem of Evil should be required reading for all theists.

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23 of 28 people found the following review helpful

the best!

By A Reader on March 28, 2002

Format: Paperback

this volume will serve, for a long time to come, as the supreme case against the existence of God. written with special attention to swinburne's masterful THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, the book is a must have for any reader in the philosophy of religion.
that said, i don't think that mackie's case is quite so strong as many maintain. his argument from evil is, to many, not strong enough to serve as a foundation for affirming the non-existence of God, and for me, not even reason enough to 'flinch' if you are a theist. his rebuttals to various forms of the teleological argument seem to miss the point entirely (see mark wynn's GOD AND GOODNESS). et cetera.
but i would be lying if i didn't admit that this book has force. as a theist, i constantly felt intrigued, but never 'threatened'. i highly recommend this book alongside swinburne's THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. God bless and shalom :-)

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29 of 36 people found the following review helpful

The Right Way to Do It

By John Barone on October 26, 2006

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

I don't agree with Mr. Mackie's ultimate conclusion, but that is not the point of my review. Mackie has addressed the question in the proper fashion. He shows proper respect for the arguments of those with whom he differs and he lets the case stand or fall on its ultimate merits. Were I an atheist this book would be my model for argument. Compared to Mackie the recent works of Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins seem to be the work of crackpots. "The village atheists screaming at the village idiots" to parphrase Chesterton. I can actually envision having a rational debate with Mackie on the topic. I only hope that I would be able to hold my own. He quite cogently for his point of view and even though its not mine

any person of faith and any non believer who is interested in the concept of God from a philosophical point of view will be enriched by reading this work.

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32 of 41 people found the following review helpful

Flawless arguments against some theist positions, but limited scope

By Thomas Wikman VINE VOICE on October 20, 2006

Format: Paperback

Mackie's book discusses the main arguments for and against the existence of God. The book covers many different kinds of proofs for the existence of God, for example, ontological, cosmological, teleological proofs, moral arguments for God, as well arguments from consciousness, and religious experience. He goes back to Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume and Berkeley, but a lot of his focus is on modern proofs (Plantinga, Hans Kung, Swinburne). Using what I consider nearly flawless logic he argues convincingly against all of those proofs, including the more complex modern versions. However, I do not consider his handling of the cosmological proof fully satisfying. Even though it is correct that the cosmological proof is flawed because it is possible that the Universe has always existed, modern cosmology implies an actual beginning of the universe (including time).

He is also discussing the "problem of evil" (how can evil exist if there is a good and omnipotent God). In particular he argues against Alvin Plantingas' defense of the theistic position (Plantingas defense is based on free will). However, it should be noted that many modern theological belief systems do not require an omnipotent, or all good God, and some also consider evil a "good" in the long run (soul development). So the famous problem of evil does not apply to those systems.

The book is well written, coherent, concise, and uses well constructed and correct logical arguments throughout. It is an excellent book in philosophy. However, I question its relevancy to the average theist and atheist alike. For example, I have never met anyone who is basing his faith on the ontological proof for God's existence. Clearly religious faith is often an adaptation to the faith of your family and society.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Thoughtful and neutral approach to difficult ideas

This book is by far my favorite among the throngs of books vying for your attention in the god debate. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Expendable

First-rate philosophy

Mackie argues compellingly against traditional theism here. What I loved most, though, was the accessibility of his writing and his fairness and graciousness to the side of theism. Read more

Published on September 22, 2012 by Conan

A philosopher presents the evidence for God

The Miracle of Theism: Arguments for and against the existence of God by J.L. Mackie, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1982, 278 ff. Read more

Published on July 6, 2012 by Dr. H. A. Jones

A stupendous and rigorous literature of Atheism

This is one of the most admirable literature of philosophy of religion that J.L. Mackie has contributed before his death at 1981. Read more

Published on December 9, 2011 by Philonous

Must-read atheist philosophy

The Miracle of Theism is a surprisingly up to date examination of arguments for and against God. Despite being published in 1982, many of the topics, like the cosmological... Read more

Published on November 16, 2011 by Nolan

recommendation

The purchase was very simple, and they had the available book, the times and delivery of the product was made under the engaged conditions. Read more

Published on September 6, 2010 by José

Interesting lecture for a believer

Two stars are not to disencourage anyone to read the book, but due to philosophical understanding of reason the author supports. Read more

Published on August 21, 2009 by Born to Lose

Clear Analysis of Theistic Arguments

The subtitle of this book pretty much sums it up: Arguments for and against the Existence of God. Specifically, Mackie presents detailed discussions on the ontological argument,... Read more

Published on October 15, 2007 by J. Stewart

Still the Strongest Argument for Atheism in Print

In "The Miracle of Theism" J.L. Mackie examines the arguments for and against the existence of God from an atheistic perspective. Read more

Published on November 1, 2005 by Reader From Aurora

Why You Should Not Believe In God

There is a principle that is more important than either science or religion.

It is the principle that belief requires evidence and extraordinary beliefs... Read more

Published on August 10, 2005 by Robert Jones

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