J. L. Mackie

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John Leslie Mackie (25 August 1917 – 12 December 1981) was an influential Australian philosopher, best known for his work in ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. Mackie is renowned for his defense of moral skepticism and his critique of religion, most notably through his argument of the problem of evil against the existence of a God. His most significant contributions to philosophy include the invention of the term "inventing right and wrong," which encapsulates his stance on moral subjectivism, and his influential book Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (1977).

Biography

John Leslie Mackie was born in Sydney, Australia, and educated at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy. He later attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where he was influenced by H.L.A. Hart, among others. Mackie held academic positions at several universities, including the University of Sydney, the University of Otago in New Zealand, and the University of York in the United Kingdom, before returning to Oxford as a Fellow of University College, Oxford.

Philosophical Work

Mackie's philosophical work spans several areas, but he is most noted for his contributions to ethics and the philosophy of religion.

Ethics

In Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong, Mackie argues for a form of moral skepticism, asserting that there are no objective values. This position is often referred to as the error theory, which suggests that moral statements are systematically false because they assert the existence of objective moral properties that do not exist. Mackie's argument is grounded in his analysis of the subjectivity of values and the relativistic nature of moral judgments.

Philosophy of Religion

Mackie is also well-known for his work in the philosophy of religion, particularly his argument concerning the problem of evil. In his book The Miracle of Theism (1982), Mackie argues that the existence of evil is logically incompatible with the existence of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God. This argument has become one of the central discussions in the theodicy and the philosophy of religion.

Legacy

Mackie's work continues to influence contemporary philosophy, especially in the fields of ethics and the philosophy of religion. His approach to moral skepticism and his arguments against the existence of God remain subjects of active discussion and debate.

Selected Works

• Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (1977)
• The Miracle of Theism: Arguments for and against the Existence of God (1982)

See Also

• Moral skepticism
• Error theory
• Problem of evil
• Cultural relativism