Mencius: The Problem of Good and Evil

J.L. Mackie on the Problem of Theodicy

One of the most compelling issues addressed by philosophers over time is the so-called problem of evil. This problem is generally phrased in the form of a question, "why does God allow evil?" The philosopher J.L. Mackie, as described by Jonathan Westphal (30), sees a number of problems implicit in this question, among which the very existence of a theos is certainly paramount. Similarly, Mackie defines the problem of evil as focused on the argument that the existence of God or a theos is incompatible with the existence of evil - a formulation originally advanced by St. Thomas Aquinas (Westphal, 30). Mackie divides solutions to the problem of evil into two types: those that are logically adequate and those that are logically inadequate. Each of these solutions incorporates at least one of three initial propositions, namely, that God is omnibenevolent, that God is omnipotent, and that evil exists. For Mackie, if one is prepared to say that God is not wholly good or not entirely omnipotent, or that evil does not exist, then the problem of evil does not arise. Similarly, if good is not opposed to the kind of evil that exists or if there are limits to what an omnipotent being can do, then the problem of evil does not arise (Westphal, 32).

Mackie develops four solutions which he finds logically flawed or fallacious, diagnosing them with respect to the likelihood that one or more of the constituent p

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ly that which is good freely. Mackie presents the paradox of omniscience which suggests that God's omnipotence involves a contradiction. An omnipotent being is unlikely to make things that he cannot subsequently control. Mackie's views on this subject as described by Westphal (30-37) do not necessarily seek to argue against the existence of God, but rather to provide a counterpoint to the traditional theological analyses of the problem of evil. Mackie's achievement is that he calls for greater clarity in defining the problem of evil and the relationship of evil to God. Question 2: Mencius and Becoming Bad Mencius, described by McGreal (27) as the Chinese counterpart to Plato, echoes many of the theories proposed by Confucius, who is often compared to Socrates. Confucius maintained that human beings are born alike and that their habits take them apart or distance them from one another. Confucius never made a judgment on human nature as either fundamentally good or evil. It was left to Mencius to develop a theory of human nature from the moral point of view. For Mencius, all the cardinal virtues such as ren or jen (human-heartedness), yi (righteousness), li (courteousness), and zhi or chih (wisdom) are innate in

Category: Philosophy - M