The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God (Paperback)

~ (Author) "TRADITIONAL theism, as defined in the Introduction, does not explicitly include any contrast between the natural and the supernatural..." (more)
Key Phrases: unabsorbed evils, extreme axiarchism, antecedent sufficient causes, Oxford University Press, William James, The Cement of the Universe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 13, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019824682X
• ISBN-13: 978-0198246824
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #307,099 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Analytic Arguments for and against God, April 3, 2002

By	D. S. Heersink "D. Stephen Heersink" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An informative book sadly hampered by poor writing, January 1, 2001

By	Philosophy Lover (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This book is a worthwhile investment for anyone interested in topics on the Philosophy of Religion. Topics covered include : (1) The nature of claims of miracles and whether these justify the existence of God ; (2) Descartes' and Berkeley's ideas of God ; (3) Discussion on whether the notion of the existence of God can be rationally defended along with discussions of whether "belief beyond reason" is intellectually worthwhile ; (4) Discussions and criticism of the various arguments commonly brought up in favour of the existence of God - ontological arguments, arguments for design, moral arguments for the existence of God etc.

Mackie masterfully demonstrates this subject area to be one of breadth and variety. He relates the knowledge of great thinkers such as Hume and Kant to his discussions and shows the Philosophy of Religion to be related to themes in meta-physics and epistemology, among others. He not only critically and fairly discusses arguments from both spectrum of the argument, he also reveals the flawed nature of many's perceptions relating to Thiesm. An example of this is his claim that when many claim of the existence of religious miracles, they speak of these literally. In fact, literal claims of miracles can often be demonstrated to be extremely unlikely, yet not beyond the laws of nature (as necessary for a true religious "miracle")

However, the tremandous content of this book is badly worn down by Mackie's tedious and long-winded style of writing - 6 or 7-line sentences are far too common. These long sentences often obscure his arguments and frequently result in the need for repeated readings in order to ascertain their meaning. A confused presentation of arguments, where he regularly jumps back-and-forth between them, stretches one's level of tolerance. In short, Mackie's lack of writer's craft drastically limits the audience of this otherwise fine piece of work.

58 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still the Strongest Argument for Atheism in Print, November 1, 2005

By	Reader From Aurora - See all my reviews

In "The Miracle of Theism" J.L. Mackie examines the arguments for and against the existence of God from an atheistic perspective. John Mackie is a highly respected twentieth century philosopher and along with Anthony Flew has been one of the most capable contemporary proponents of atheism.

Written almost a quarter of a century ago, "The Miracle of Theism" remains a classic in the field of religious philosophy and is widely considered to be one of the best-stated arguments for atheism in print. Unfortunately, many popular works supporting the atheistic perspective come across as unduly angry and self-righteous. In contrast, Mackie's work is a much-needed breath of fresh air. One may disagree with Mackie while at the same time respecting his views. The book touches on a wide range of important issues, I offer the following thoughts for potential readers:

The approach is largely evidentiary in nature - Mackie examines different arguments for and against the existence of God and assesses the overall likelihood of theism in light of his analysis of these arguments. This is not an uncommon approach, however, theists often argue that it is the wrong way around and that a more direct awareness of God is available (see Plantinga's Warranted Christian Belief for an opposing view).

Mackie does a good job in handling the ontological argument. On examination this classic "proof" does seem to possess more force than is initially evident. Despite its subtle attractiveness, however, I tend to agree with Mackie that something does quite feel right about it. At the end of the day the attempt to define God into existence seems more like a logical -linguistic exercise than a compelling argument.

The handling of the cosmological argument is not as strong. Current scientific and philosophical thought favours an actual beginning for universe (including space and time). Traditionally, atheists had taken the tact that the universe had always existed and hence did not require an explanation. Although this supposed beginning does not let the theist entirely of the hook (an uncaused God can be a conceptual challenge), it is doubly problematic for the atheist who is faced with the universe not only being created out of nothing but also for no reason. To be fair to the author, however, much of the scientific and philosophical thought, which added to the cosmological argument's theistic appeal is subsequent to Mackie's work. A good starting point in this area for interested readers is Craig and Smith's "Atheism, Theism and Big Bang Cosmology".

Mackie's handling of the teleological (or argument from design) is interesting if a bit dated. From my perspective Mackie reliance on Hume is a bit excessive (he is an accomplished Hume scholar and his comments if not always salient to the current argument are of value in themselves). Similar to the cosmological argument, recent developments in science have also weakened the atheist position in this area. The complexity of life and the apparent fine-tuning of the universe has made its "accidental appearance" extremely improbable.

The argument from evil - i.e. that the existence of evil and a wholly good God are logically incompatible is widely viewed as the best argument for atheism. While it retains some of its emotional appeal it has lost much of its intellectual bite. It is now widely accepted that there is no logical incompatibility between God and the existence of evil and consequently the argument has shifted to a less forceful approach - i.e. how much evil is compatible with a theistic model.

Although atheism remains a popular worldview, many commentators recognise that the intellectual ground has shifted toward the theistic position. The argument from evil, while still possessing some force, has been weakened whereas the teleological and cosmological arguments in support of theism have been strengthen by developments in philosophy and science. Flew himself has recently acknowledge that theism is the more likely explanation (he appears to be advocating a deistic perspective) - it is interesting to speculate where Mackie would be given current thought?

Overall, though the argument for atheism has weakened in recent years Mackie's work remains its best and most compelling statement. It is an excellent book and I highly recommended it to all readers - atheist or theist.