1.2 Cosmological Argument - concepts Flashcards
Aristotle’s argument for why a first cause must exist
if there were no first cause, nothing would exist since the universe cannot have come into being out of nothing owing to no action
Aquinas’ First Way - The Unmoved Mover
in the world some things are in motion. whatever is moved is moved by another. this cannot go on to infinity so it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, moved by no other. this everyone understands to be God
Aquinas’ Second Way - The Uncaused Causer
The observable world has an order of efficient causes. There is no known case in which a thing is the cause of itself as this would mean the thing was prior to itself which is logically impossible. Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause which itself has no cause - God.
Aquinas’ Third Way - From Necessity and Contingency
Things in nature are contingent, so at one time there must have been nothing in existence, making it impossible for anything to have begun to exist - unless we admit the existence of a necessary being, God
Aquinas’ description of ‘contingent’ things
things that are able to be, and not to be, since they are CORRUPTIBLE, GENERATED, and DEPENDENT
Ockham’s Razor
the principle that ‘entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily’ - the simplest conclusion is the most viable
Aquinas’ definition of ‘motion’
the reduction of something from potentiality to actuality
Aquinas’ definition of something ‘necessary’
depends on nothing but itself, cannot be corrupted or generated, is independent and immortal
description of Aquinas’ concepts ‘in potentia’ and ‘in actu’
-potentiality is the inherent capacity for something to exist / be in a certain state
-actuality is the realisation of those capacities / its actually being in that state
