John Leslie Mackie (25 August 1917 – 12 December 1981) was an Australian
philosopher. He made significant contributions to the
philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...
,
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
, and the
philosophy of language
In analytic philosophy, philosophy of language investigates the nature of language and the relations between language, language users, and the world. Investigations may include inquiry into the nature of meaning, intentionality, reference, ...
, and is perhaps best known for his views on
metaethics
In metaphilosophy and ethics, meta-ethics is the study of the nature, scope, and meaning of moral judgment. It is one of the three branches of ethics generally studied by philosophers, the others being normative ethics (questions of how one ought ...
, especially his defence of
moral scepticism, as well as his sophisticated defence of
atheism. He wrote six books. His most widely known, ''
Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong'' (1977), opens by boldly stating, "There are no objective values." It goes on to argue that because of this,
ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...
must be invented rather than discovered. His posthumously published ''The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God'' (1982) has been called ''a'' ''tour de force'' in contemporary analytic philosophy. The atheist philosopher
Kai Nielsen described it as "one of the most, probably the most, distinguished articulation of an atheistic point of view given in the twentieth century." In 1980 ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine described him as "perhaps the ablest of today's atheistic philosophers."
Life
Mackie was born 25 August 1917 in
Killara
Killara is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia north-west of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. East Killara is a separate suburb and ...
,
Sydney,
son of
Alexander Mackie, professor of education at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...
and principal of the
Sydney Teachers College
The Sydney Teachers' College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until the end of 1981, when it became the Sydney Institute of Education, a part of the new Sydney College o ...
, influential in the educational system of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
and Annie Burnett (née Duncan), who was a schoolteacher.
Mackie graduated from the University of Sydney in 1938 after studying under
John Anderson, sharing the medal in philosophy with
Harold Glass
Rear Admiral Harold Hyam Glass (21 August 1918 – 29 March 1989) was an Australian judge and naval officer. He served on the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the New South Wales Court of Appeal and was Judge Advocate General for the Royal A ...
. Mackie received the Wentworth Travelling Fellowship to study
greats at
Oriel College, Oxford, where he graduated with
first-class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in 1940.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
Mackie served with the
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, and was
mentioned in dispatches.
He was professor of philosophy at the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate ...
in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
from 1955 to 1959 and succeeded Anderson as the
Challis Professor
The Challis Professorship are professorships at the University of Sydney named in honour of John Henry Challis, an Anglo-Australian merchant, landowner and philanthropist, whose bequests to the University of Sydney allowed for their establishment ...
of philosophy at the University of Sydney from 1959 to 1963. In 1963, he moved to the United Kingdom, becoming the inaugural holder of the chair of philosophy in the
University of York, a position he held until 1967, when he was elected a fellow of
University College, Oxford
University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...
, where he served as
praelector
A praelector is a traditional role at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. The role differs somewhat between the two ancient universities.
University of Cambridge
At Cambridge, a praelector is the fellow of a college who forma ...
. In 1969, he gave a lecture, "What's Really Wrong with Phenomenalism?", at the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
as part of its annual Philosophical Lectures series. In 1974, he became a fellow of the British Academy.
Mackie died in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
on 12 December 1981.
Character and family
Mackie is said to have been capable of expressing total disagreement in such a genial way that the person being addressed might mistake his comment for a compliment. This personal style is exemplified by the following words from the preface to ''Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong'':
I am nowhere mainly concerned to refute any individual writer. I believe that all those to whom I have referred, even those with whom I disagree most strongly, have contributed significantly to our understanding of ethics: where I have quoted their actual words, it is because they have presented views or arguments more clearly or more forcefully than I could put them myself.
Mackie married Joan Meredith in 1947. One of their three children,
Penelope Mackie, also became a philosopher. She lectured in philosophy at the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
from 1994 to 2004, and then at the
University of Nottingham
, mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom
, established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status
, type = Public
, chancellor ...
from 2004 until her death in 2022. Mackie's son David is also a philosopher and graduated from
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, where he held lectureships at
Exeter College,
Corpus Christi College, and
Christ Church before being appointed a Fellow and Tutor at
Oriel College
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, w ...
. He is Head of Philosophy at
D'Overbroeck's College
d’Overbroeck's is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school for students aged 11–18. The school is owned by Nord Anglia Education and is located in Oxford, England. It is made up of three school sites; Years 7-11, The Interna ...
, Oxford. His daughter Hilary is a classicist at
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...
.
Philosophical work
Mackie is best known for his contributions to
metaethics
In metaphilosophy and ethics, meta-ethics is the study of the nature, scope, and meaning of moral judgment. It is one of the three branches of ethics generally studied by philosophers, the others being normative ethics (questions of how one ought ...
,
philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...
, and
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
. In metaethics, he took a position called
moral scepticism, arguing against the
objective existence of ''right'' and ''wrong'' as intrinsically normative entities on fundamental grounds. He was unsure what kinds of thing they would be if they existed.
His perhaps most widely known work,
''Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong'', bluntly begins with the sentence "There are no objective values". He uses several arguments to support this claim. He argues that some aspects of moral thought are relative, and that objective morals require an absurd intrinsic action-guiding feature. Most of all, he thinks it is very unclear how objective values could supervene on features of the natural world (see the ''
Argument from queerness
An argument is a statement or group of statements called premises intended to determine the degree of truth or acceptability of another statement called conclusion. Arguments can be studied from three main perspectives: the logical, the dialect ...
''), and argues it would be difficult to justify our knowledge of "value entities" or account for any links or consequences they would have. Finally, he thinks it possible to show that even without any objective values, people would still have reason to firmly believe in them (hence he claims that it is possible for people to be mistaken or fooled into believing that objective values exist). ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' called the book "a lucid discussion of moral theory which, although aimed at the general reader, has attracted a good deal of professional attention."
Concerning religion, he was well known for vigorously defending
atheism, and also arguing that the
problem of evil
The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encycl ...
made untenable the main
monotheistic religions. His criticisms of the
free will
Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded.
Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...
theodicy are particularly significant. He argued that the idea of human free will is no defence for those who wish to believe in an omnicompetent being in the face of evil and suffering, as such a being could have given us both free will and moral perfection, thus resulting in us choosing the good in every situation. In 1955 he published "Evil and Omnipotence", which summarized his view that belief in the existence of evil and an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-good god is "positively irrational".
Mackie's views on this so-called
logical problem of evil prompted
Alvin Plantinga
Alvin Carl Plantinga (born November 15, 1932) is an American analytic philosopher who works primarily in the fields of philosophy of religion, epistemology (particularly on issues involving epistemic justification), and logic.
From 1963 to 198 ...
to respond with the "
free will
Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded.
Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...
defence", to which Mackie later responded in his ''The Miracle of Theism''.
In metaphysics, Mackie made significant contributions relating to the nature of
causal relationships
Causality (also referred to as causation, or cause and effect) is influence by which one event, process, state, or object (''a'' ''cause'') contributes to the production of another event, process, state, or object (an ''effect'') where the cau ...
, especially conditional statements describing them (see, for example, Mackie 1974) and the notion of an
INUS condition.
After being given a copy of
Richard Dawkins's ''
The Selfish Gene
''The Selfish Gene'' is a 1976 book on evolution by the ethologist Richard Dawkins, in which the author builds upon the principal theory of George C. Williams's '' Adaptation and Natural Selection'' (1966). Dawkins uses the term "selfish gen ...
'' as a Christmas present,
in 1978 Mackie wrote an article in the journal ''
Philosophy'' praising the book and discussing how its ideas might be applied to moral philosophy. The philosopher
Mary Midgley
Mary Beatrice Midgley (' Scrutton; 13 September 1919 – 10 October 2018) was a British philosopher. A senior lecturer in philosophy at Newcastle University, she was known for her work on science, ethics and animal rights. She wrote her first b ...
responded in 1979 with "Gene-Juggling", an article arguing that ''The Selfish Gene'' was about
psychological egoism
Psychological egoism is the view that humans are always motivated by self-interest and selfishness, even in what seem to be acts of altruism. It claims that, when people choose to help others, they do so ultimately because of the personal benefi ...
rather than
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
. This started a dispute between Mackie, Midgley, and Dawkins that was ongoing at the time of Mackie's death.
Publications
Books
* ''Truth, Probability, and Paradox'' (1973),
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, .
* ''The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation'' (1980
974
Year 974 ( CMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Battle of Danevirke: Emperor Otto II defeats the rebel forces of King Harald I, who ha ...
, Oxford University Press, .
* ''Problems from Locke'' (1976), Oxford University Press, .
* ''
Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong'' (1977), Viking Press, . (1978
Reprint Available for loan at
Open Library
Open Library is an online project intended to create "one web page for every book ever published". Created by Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Alexis Rossi, Anand Chitipothu, and Rebecca Malamud, Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive, ...
)
* ''Hume's Moral Theory'' (1980), Routledge Keegan & Paul, .
* ''
The Miracle of Theism: Arguments for and against the Existence of God'' (1982), Oxford University Press, .
Anthologies
* ''Logic and Knowledge: Selected Papers, Volume I'' (1985), Oxford University Press, .
* ''Persons and Values: Selected Papers, Volume II'' (1985), Oxford University Press, .
For a more complete list of works see "The publications of J. L. Mackie" compiled by Joan Mackie.
[In: Honderich, Ted (1985) '' Morality and Objectivity: A Tribute to J.L. Mackie'']
References
Further reading
*
McDowell, John. (1991
"Mackie, John Leslie, 1917–1981"in ''
Proceedings of the British Academy
The ''Proceedings of the British Academy'' is a series of academic volumes on subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The first volume was published in 1905. Up to 1991, the volumes (appearing annually from 1927) mostly consisted of the te ...
'' 76
*
Franklin, James. (2003) ''Corrupting the Youth: A History of Philosophy in Australia'', Macleay Press,
ch. 5.(author shared eprint)
*
Honderich, Ted. (ed). (1985) ''
Morality and Objectivity: A Tribute to J. L. Mackie'', Routledge Kegan & Paul, .
* Ellis, Anthony (1996
Mackie, J(ohn) L(eslie)In: ''
Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Philosophers''. (eds.) Brown, Stuart ''et al''
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition an ...
978-1-134-92796-8.
*
Campbell, Keith.br>
"Mackie, J. L."in:
A Companion to Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand' (2010, 2nd ed. 2014)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackie, John Leslie
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