1.2 The cosmological Argument

Question 1

What is the cosmological argument?

Answer 1

A collection of arguments concerned with finding an explanation for the universe. Asks why the universe exists

Question 2

What is natural theory?

Answer 2

the CA is an argument form natural theory
Humans do not know God through reason , but through the work of God in creation

Question 3

What type of argument is the CA?

Answer 3

A posteriori

Question 4

What are some reasons to support the CA?

Answer 4

• Its a posteriori so we have experience of the world
• It uses logic and evidence

Question 5

What are some reasons not to support the CA?

Answer 5

• How do we know whether God is the cause of the universe?
• Just because things on earth are cused, how do we know that the universe is caused?

Question 6

What is the CA articulated by Plato?

Question 7

What is the CA articulated by Aristotle?

Answer 7

He separated the prime mover from the material universe, arguing that it couldnt fit in the ordinary chain of physical, material causes.

God couldnt possibly exist within our universe, he must be outside of it

Question 8

What is the cosmological argument articulated by al-Kindi and al-Ghazali?

Answer 8

Premise 1) Whatever comes into being must have a cause

Premise 2) the universe came into being

Premise 3) the universe must have a cause

Premise 4) if the universe has a cause it must have been God

Conclusion God exists

Question 9

What is the CA articulated by William Lane Craig?

Answer 9

Premise 1) if something has a finite past its existence has been caused

Premise 2)The uiverse has a finite past

Premise 3) Space and time originated with the universe and also have a finite past- the cause of the universe must be beyond time and space

Question 10

Does Craig accept the theory of infinity?

Answer 10

• He thinks that the concept of infinity is illogical
• ‘Infinity is a concept in your mind’

Question 11

What is the infinite hotel paradox?

Answer 11

David Hilbert imagines a hypothetical hotel with rooms numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on with no upper limit. This is called a countably infinite number of rooms. Initially every room is occupied, and yet new visitors arrive, each expecting their own room. A normal, finite hotel could not accommodate new guests once every room is full. However, it can be shown that the existing guests and newcomers — even an infinite number of them — can each have their own room in the infinite hotel.

Question 12

Who was Thomas Aquinas?

Answer 12

An italian priest and philosopher

Question 13

What is Thomas Aquinas’ first way for the CA?

Answer 13

Argument from MOTION
* Nothing can move itself
* An infinite chain of movers that has no beginning cannnot have no successive or ultimate movers
conc: there must be a first mover, we call this God

Question 14

What is Thomas Aquinas’ second way for the CA?

Answer 14

Argument from CAUSE
* things in the world are caused
* Nothing can be its own cause
* there cannot be an infinite chain of causes
* there must be a first cause
conc: God is the first cause

Question 15

Are the first and second ways of Aquinas’ CA effective?

Answer 15

No
* The theory of evolution gives and explanation for why things change
* Why does the first cause have to be the GOCT?

Question 16

What is Thomas Aquinas’ Third way for the CA?

Answer 16

Argument from CONTINGENCY
* Everything is dependent on factors beyond itself (contingent), they could always not exist
* Contingent beings can only be explained by contingent beings
* Contingent beings need an ultimate explanation as a necessary being- God

Contingent=children have been cause by their parents, but might ont have

Question 17

Is Aquinas’ third way of the CA effective?

Answer 17

YES
* It’s a posteriori, which draws from evidence
* Swinburne uses occam’s razor- God is the simplest explanation

NO
* Does it complement scientific theories?
* The argument doesn’t explain why God doesn’t need an explanation

Occam’s razor= the simplest answer is often the correct one e.g God

Question 18

Who was Gottfried Liebniz?

Answer 18

A German mathematician who was a well respected enlightenment thinker

Question 19

Did Liebniz accept the idea of an infinite universe?

Answer 19

No he said there must be a cause for a whole universe which explains the whole universe

The cause for the universe must also explainit

Question 20

What is the principle of sufficient reason?

Answer 20

• Everything on earth has something that explains its existence
• There has to be a sufficient reason that explains the cause of any event even the universe

Question 21

What is infinite regress?

Answer 21

A never-ending sequence or chain of causes that goes back forever with no starting point

Question 22

Did Liebniz accept infinite regression?

Answer 22

He rejected an infinite universe because he didnt believe it was a satisfactory explanation for its existence

He accepted God as the uncaused cause

Question 23

What is the principal of Sufficient Reason?

Answer 23

• Everything on earth has something that explains its existence
• There has to be suffiecient reason- an adequate reason that explains the cause of any event
  Liebniz rejected an infinited universe because he didn’t believe it was a satisfactory explanation for its existence- he accepted God as the uncased cause

Question 24

What is infinite regress?

Answer 24

A never ending sequence or chain of causes that goes back forever with no starting point

Question 25

What are some strengths of the cosmological argument?

Answer 25

1. Inductive a posteriori argument - observations of our world seem to support Aquinas’ argument
2. By not arguing for a christian God Aquinas makes his argument simpler and nore straight foward to prove
3. Complements scientific arguments such as the Big Bang theory (uses empirical evidence)
4. Uses Occam’s razor

Question 26

Who was Frederick Copleston and what was his argument?

Answer 26

• He was a priest and philosopher and his argument was from contingency

Question 27

What is the argument from contingency?

Answer 27

An eternal series of contingent beings could not bring about its own existence or explain how they came into being

It would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist and thus nothing would be in existence, God is a necesary being

Question 28

What was John Hick’s argument?

Answer 28

From contingency

Question 29

Who is Richard Swinburne and what was his argument?

Answer 29

A english philosopher who argued for the existence of God. Occam’s razor

Question 30

What is the outline of Occam’s razor?

Answer 30

The explanation that requires the fewest assumptions is usually correct (the simplest one)

Applied to the CA: It’s more likely that there would be nothing rather than something. So God is the simplest explanation

Question 31

What are some weaknesses of the Cosmological Argument?

Answer 31

• Inductive arguments are only probable: doesnt provide certainty of God’sexistence
• The universe could just be infinite (why cant there be infinite regression?)
• We don’t have any direct experience of the creation of the universe

Question 32

Who is Richard Dawkins and what does he believe?

Answer 32

An atheist
Scientific view: objects offering mythological explanations, we must ‘do better science’

Question 33

Who was Bertrand Russle and what does he believe?

Answer 33

A british philosopher:
Fallacy of composition: we mistakenly give properties of parts of the whole to the whole

Its a mistake to say objects within the universe were created so the universe was created

Question 34

What did David Hume believe about the CA?

Answer 34

As we have no direct experience of the creation of universes we cannot speak meaningfully about the creation of the universe

Question 35

What did Kant believe about the CA?

Answer 35

Argued that the idea that everything must have a first cause only applied to the world of sense and experience. It cannot apply to something we haven’t experienced.

Question 36

What is the principal of sufficient reason?

Answer 36

Everything on earth has something that explains its existence

There has to be a sufficient reason that explains the cause of any event, even the universe

Question 37

What is infinite regress?

Answer 37

A never ending sequence or chain of causes that goes back forever with no starting point

Question 38

What are the strengths of the CA?

Answer 38

1. Inductive, a posteriori argument- observations of our world seem to support Aquinas’ argument
2. By not arguing for a Christian God aquinas makes his argument simpler and more straight foward
3. Complements scientific arguments like the Big Bang (using empirical evidence)
4. Occam’s razor

Question 39

Who was Frederick Copleston and what did he believe?

Answer 39

A priest and philosopher
Argument from contingency: **An eternal series of contingent beings **could not bring about its own existence or explain how they came into being

Question 40

Who was John Hick and what did he believe?

Answer 40

American philosopher
Argument from contingency: It would have been** impossible for anything to have begun to exist** and thus nothing would be in existence, God is a necessary being

Question 41

Who is Richard Swinburne and what does be believe?

Answer 41

English philosopher
Occam’s Razor: it is more likely that there would be nothing rather than something, so the universe needs an explanation. God is the simplest explanation

Question 42

What are weaknesses of the CA?

Answer 42

1. inductive arguments are only ever probable- don’t provide certainty of God’s existence
2. The universe could just be infinite (why can’t there be infinite regression?)- Russle
3. We don’t have any direct experience of the creation of the Universe- Hume

Question 43

Who is Richard Dawkins and what does he believe?

Answer 43

Athiest
Scientific view: He objects to offering mythological explanations, we must ‘do better science’

Question 44

Who was Bertrand Russle and what did he believe?

Answer 44

British philosopher
Fallacy of composition: We mistakenly give properties of parts of the whole to the whole

Its a mistake to say ‘objects within the universe were created. Therefore the universe was created’

Question 45

What did Davide Hume believe?

Answer 45

As we have no direct experience of the creation of universes we cannot speak meaningfully about the creation of the universe

He criticises the POSR as those who seek complete universes seek something that doesn’t exist

Asks why we have to conclude that the universe had a beginning, and if it did it doesn’t mean that anything caused it

Question 46

What did Immanuel Kant believe?

Answer 46

Argued that the idea that everything must have a first cause, only applied to the world of sense and experience. It cannot apply to the creation as we did not experience it.