MIRACLE OF THEISM P: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God 1st Edition

I bought this book ten years ago and tried to read it, but was not ready for it. I foolishly got rid of that copy, thinking I had no use for it. But now, many years later, I was referred to it once again by a reference in another work that piqued my interest, and purchased it for the second time in my life, and this time, sat down and read it within a week's time.This is not an easy read, by any measure -- unless, of course, you are a philosopher by trade or are accustomed to wading through dense philosophical material and deciphering the language of complex reasoning. On the other hand, neither is it inaccessible for the intelligent reader who has some familiarity with the arguments under consideration.If you are engaged in any kind of debate about the existence of God, or are thinking through the issue on your own, whichever side you come down on, this book is absolutely essential reading. Like I said, it's not easy reading, but in the end it is extremely worthwhile.Mackie comes down on the side of atheism, and he clearly explains why in this work. But, unlike so many atheist treatises today, he is profoundly civil to the "enemy" and allows them to articulate their best arguments, even putting the best spin on them as he possibly can. This is not an "in your face" kind of refutation of theism, like you might see from Richard Dawkins, but a clear, logical, systematic, methodical take down that is devastating and, as far as I can tell, irrefutable, in its conclusions.If there were such a thing as a Bible for atheism, this might be it. There are lots of great books on the lack of belief in a God or gods, but this one really stands out. If you can justify belief in God/gods after reading this, you are very special indeed.One final note on the physical book itself. It's expensive even at the $45 (as of this writing) reflecting the Amazon discount, and it is a paperback -- but it is a well-made paperback printed in the UK by Oxford publishers, and is not a print-on-demand as so many books are these days (of which I am not a fan). I would like for it to have been bound in signatures (Smyth-sewn), as that would have allowed me to have opened it wider while reading, but that was a minor issue. I don't (purposely) break the spine of my paperbacks, as I fear the pages falling out, but this book doesn't *seem* to be made in such a way that pages would fall out if the spine were broken. This portion of my comments are, of course, only accurate as of this May 2018 writing; future editions may not bear any resemblance to the present one.

This is one of the most admirable literature of philosophy of religion that J.L. Mackie has contributed before his death at 1981. Fortunately, it was published posthumously in 1982 for future readers to examine Mackie's critique against Theism. What makes this critical book so impressive and excellent is Mackie's astute, comprehensive, and sophisticated critiques, along with his fair-minded attempts to understand the Theistic arguments, against theistic arguments; Mackie's analysis on the stregnths of theistic arguments shows that he is capable of being intelelctually fair-minded and practices the pinciple of charity, but his critique on the weaknesses of those arguments also demonstrates his impressive ability to pinpoint the vital weaknesses in those arguments with deadly precision and insight that could make anyone doubt those rebust arguments for theism. What obviously attracts me to this book was the simple fact that Mackie's rigorous and analytical critique against Theism is in contrast unquestionably superior to any arguments made by other atheists such as the New Atheists. While the New Atheist will simply ridicule theism, Mackie takes Theism so seriously that he uses the most of his intellectual resources to show why Theism is such an ironically miraclous claim. Instead of wasting your time reading "God Delusion", "Letters to the Christian Nation", "God is not great", or any of that new Atheist nonesense that is only good for simple-minded Atheists who want an easy argument against obviously horrible formulated arguments for Theism, it is a MUST to read this book to find yourself reading critiques against the more rebust (or more interesting or eccentric) arguments for the existence of God made by Plantinga, Swineburne, and others. It is also highly recommended because Mackie also tries to examine the marginal arguments for Theism made by Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, William James, and Pascal.While it is true that Mackie does not cover many other arguments, he does cover many of the notable and rebust arguments that Theism has made, and unlike other cheap Atheist books he doesn't select the more vulnerable arguments, but rather he tackles the well-respected arguments that was made during his time before his unfortunate demise. While his critiques may not necessarily be unprecedented, his thorough rigor and clarity makes this the epitome of critical integrity as an Atheistic literature, such that it deserves to be read...otherwise I feel as though potential readers of philosophy (including Theism vs. Atheism topics that are a rage thesedays on the internet and popular books) will sorely miss out. This is how much I respect this book.

An excellent but challenging overview of all the familiar arguments. Mackie concludes that the arguments for God are not convincing, either singly or in combination. However, he bends over backward to give them a fair hearing. Some of Mackie's detailed reasoning is hard to follow for a person without extensive training in the relevant branches of philosophy. Some chapters are easier than others for the layman to understand; the one on the problem of evil is especially good. Far more advanced than Smith's "Atheism: The Case Against God," but also far more systematic. The only major omission is Mackie's failure to address logical inconsistencies in God's supposed attributes, other than the problem of evil.

About the delivery. Ergodebooks ships from USA made a excelent delivery; its very fast. Congratulations!The book is a magnus opus in philosophy of religion. In fact, its indispensable to anyone that study philosophy of religion, no matter if is theist, naturalist or agnostic (if something say that study philosophy of religion but ever did read this book, this configure a intelectual crime). I like very much of John Leslie Mackie; his argumentation is something magnanimously conspicuous, and really this work is a demonstration of the best naturalistic thinking. Yours thinkings really doing a theist thinking very though about your convictions, because your arguments are very compelling - even, in the end of day, much of their arguments don't work and, in most cases, are false; but to dismiss or to refute your arguments its need much intelectual work.I'm a christian theist, and, even so, I recognize and admire the genius, intellectual profundidy and honesty of this great philosopher.

This was recommended to me as a student for a philosophy degree. I was really impressed it's clearly written and contains most of the useful information you need for these topics as well as being a good read

This has been really useful for my OU studies and general interest reading. Mackie rights clearly and entertainingly with a good amount of depth to be of serious use and quotation.

Book is great, though I would describe the condition as satisfactory rather then good.

very nice